From the moment it was revealed, it was clear that Edge of Eternities’ Warp mechanic had a lot of potential. Getting to cast your creatures for cheap has historically been very powerful, even if just for one turn. The powerful interaction with blink effects is often hard to ignore. Several decks have made use of the mechanic so far. In yesterday’s MTG Online Modern League, for example, a player went 5-0 with a Warp-heavy Azorius Blink deck.
This list borrows heavily from Esper Midrange, but gives it a unique sci-fi spin. The classic blink pieces pair perfectly with Warp cards, of which the deck plays a staggering 11. While it does lose out on a lot by dropping black, it also gains more streamlined mana and a nifty tutor toolbox.
Azorius Blink In MTG Modern
This Azorius Blink deck comes via Nudls_, but there are plenty of other recent examples of it doing well in MTG Modern. At its heart, this deck revolves around the classic blink duo from Esper Midrange: Phelia and Ephemerate. Both let you blink your creatures very efficiently, and usually multiple times, too.
With these cards in the deck, suddenly your Warp creatures look a lot more attractive. Typically, a creature you Warp in goes into exile at the end of the turn, but if you blink it, it becomes a new instance, and therefore sticks around. Blinking also gives you double value from any enters abilities these creatures have.
Quantum Riddler, for example, becomes a two mana 4/6 Flier that draws (at least) two cards with blink support. You can pull this off as early as turn three as well, provided you set up a Phelia first or have Ephemerate in hand. You can also tutor up two one drops with Starfield Shepherd, or turn Haliya into a terrifying one mana 3/3. With how often creatures enter and leave in this deck, Haliya is a very viable draw engine too.
These interactions represent the deck’s main power plays. Beyond this, however, it has plenty of other tricks up its sleeves. Solitude is ‘free’ removal that pairs beautifully with Ephemerate, letting you exile two of your opponent’s creatures at instant speed, then another next turn on the Rebound. Witch Enchanter is another banger, helping fight against all the Mox Opals and Goblin Bombardments in the format. It’s also an untapped land when you need it: an advantage which cannot be overstated in a format as fast as Modern.
The Shepherd’s Flock
So far, Azorius Blink is looking like a sideshift to Esper Midrange, but where it really sets itself apart is with its suite of one drops. Thanks to Starfield Shepherd, the deck is able to run a lot more of these than usual, resulting in a uniquely aggressive edge for an Azorius list.
Guide of Souls and Ocelot Pride are the big hitters here. This duo does a ton of work in Boros Energy, and it’s just as good in Azorius Blink. An early Guide will generate a ton of energy over the game, which you can then use to press an aggressive advantage or to power Static Prison. The lifegain is also very relevant for Haliya, and lets you make tokens via Ocelot Pride. With no other token shenanigans in the deck, Pride is really just an efficient attacker, but that’s more than good enough in some matchups.
On top of these, Nudls_ also runs a couple of utility pieces. Lightstall Inquisitor is another Edge of Eternities newcomer, and it’s a perfect fit here. Coming down early and slowing down your opponent’s hand is great, and you can tutor/blink it later to maintain a tempo advantage in games where you’re the beatdown.
Mockingbird is another great piece, serving a ton of functions depending on the game state. A lot of the time, this will be an extra copy of one of your one drops, but it can also copy opposing Ragavans, Psychic Frogs, etc.
This suite of creatures is really what makes Azorius Blink unique. It pushes the deck from straightforward value Midrange to a more Aggro/Midrange hybrid. This is a deck that can grind you out with Quantum Riddler, but is just as happy smashing your face in with Guide of Souls early on.
Modernity Vs. Tradition
Looking at the recent results, Azorius Blink is clearly a deck with potential in MTG Modern. The big hurdle in its way right now, however, is Esper Midrange. This is a well-established deck that runs a very similar game plan, and very successfully to boot.
By adding black, this deck gets to play with a lot of very powerful tools. Overlord of the Balemurk is one of the best recent blink targets we’ve seen, giving you more time than the likes of Quantum Riddler since it sticks around as an enchantment after being cast for two. You also get access to the Ketramose/Psychic Frog engine, which allows for some immense card advantage in the mid to late game.
On the other hand, Esper Midrange is a relatively slow strategy. While it does have interaction options for turn one, like Fatal Push and Thoughtseize, it can’t actually start developing its board until turn two. This is where Azorius Blink has the edge, since it can come down immediately and start snowballing advantage from there.
Given how the meta looks right now, this is a considerable advantage. The top two decks at the moment are Boros Energy and Domain Zoo, both of which are pretty aggressive. These decks can easily overwhelm Esper Midrange early, but Azorius Blink can actually compete with them on board. Thanks to all of the deck’s incidental lifegain, it can hold out until it hits its value pieces, too.
While it’s still a relatively new strategy in Modern, I think the future looks bright for Azorius Blink. It’s a powerful deck, and it’s well-positioned in the current metagame to boot. Whether or not it will be able to maintain its current postion in the Modern metagame, however, remains to be seen.
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