Though Modern is technically supposed to be an eternal, non-rotating format, that hasn’t exactly been the case in the past few years. Each new Modern Horizons set has acted as an unofficial rotation, changing the format drastically. This Monday’s huge format changes appear to have done something similar. In the wake of these landmark Modern unbans, good sideboard cards are needed now more than ever.
Luckily for you, we’ve given the matter some thought. No matter which of the new strategies you want to take aim at, we’ve got some cards that will help you do so. Good sideboarding is the difference between a good Magic player and a great one. If you fancy yourself as the latter, then read on for our top picks for the new Modern metagame.
Mox Opal
The first and most immediately alarming of the four unbanned cards is Mox Opal. For dedicated artifact decks this is a straight-up Power Nine level card, and it’s now legal in Modern. The advantage it grants is huge, but fortunately, it’s also the easiest of the unbanned cards to counter.
All you really need in your sideboard to fight against Mox Opal decks is artifact hate. Ideally, artifact hate that hits more than one artifact. Just sniping an Opal early will rarely be enough; usually you’ll need to deal with the huge board of artifacts it accelerated into play as well. In this field, there’s no better card than Meltdown. As long as you have access to red mana, this can sweep away Mox Opal and most everything else it left behind. Among the new sideboard cards we recommend post-Modern unbans, this is one of the highlights.
After Meltdown, pickings get slimmer, but there are still some great options. Force of Vigor can hit two artifacts for no mana, thus dealing with the bigger Affinity threats to buy you some time. The card can also hit Urza’s Saga, a common win condition for Mox Opal decks. Brotherhood’s End also does a very passable Meltdown impression, actually being more efficient if you need to stretch to three mana artifacts. It also doubles as a creature board wipe in a pinch, which is a huge point in its favor as a sideboard piece.
Faithless Looting
Unbanned card #2 is the infamous Faithless Looting. Regarded by many as the real risky move in this batch of unbans, even moreso than Mox Opal, this card is a huge shot in the arm for graveyard decks in Modern. Like Opal, it can also be addressed quite cleanly from the sideboard.
All of the decks leveraging Faithless Looting, be they Phoenix or Dredge, don’t do too well against graveyard hate. These decks are capable of going off in a single turn without much warning, however, so you’ll really want instant speed options if possible. In this sphere, Surgical Extraction and Endurance are top-tier. Extraction can completely ruin Izzet Phoenix’s day by stripping them of their key card for a mere two-life investment. It’s also great against any of Dredge’s recursive threats, Prized Amalgam etc.
Endurance is similar but casts a wider, less targeted net. You can cast it in response to your opponent’s recursion triggers to completely mop up their graveyard, and you can even do so for free by pitching a green card. While these are the best options against Faithless Looting decks, don’t forget classics like Leyline of the Void. If your opponent doesn’t have enchantment hate to hand, this card essentially reads ‘You win the game.’ Consider Rest in Peace for a similar effect in white, too.
Green Sun’s Zenith
Third in the line of Modern unbans is Green Sun’s Zenith, and it’s also the trickiest one to find sideboard cards against. The reason for this is that the decks running the card are far less consistent than those running any of the others. Green Sun’s Zenith is showing up in multiple Combo decks, but also straightforward Typal brews. This makes targeting it via sideboard cards difficult.
It’s not impossible, however. The consistency it adds to decks via its tutor effect can be addressed, specifically through cards like Leonin Arbiter and Aven Mindcensor. Chances are, dropping either one of these early will delay the Zenith player a few turns, which should be all you need to win. These cards are also great in general due to the prevalence of Fetchlands in the format, so it’s not a stretch to include them if you’re in white.
Another approach here is to target the decks Zenith enables. It’s great in Elves, for example, so you might want to run a Pyroclasm or two out of the ‘board. If you’re worried about Kethis Combo decks, consider some of the graveyard hate options above. This isn’t an easy fix like the examples above, but it’s still very possible to tech against.
Splinter Twin
Finally, we come to Splinter Twin. This is the last of our unbanned cards, and also the most prolific by far. After years of ‘unban Twin’ memes, the card is finally free in Modern again. As before, the combo here is incredibly linear and predictable. You put Twin on a key creature, you make infinite copies, and you swing for the win. Since it’s the same every time, you can sideboard against it pretty consistently.
The easiest way to stop Twin decks popping off is to just counter Twin itself. There are plenty of good options for this in Modern, but free counters like Force of Negation work best. Losing a whole four mana’s worth of tempo should be enough to lose Twin decks the game in many cases.
Alternatively, you can deal with the creature Twin aims to enchant. Again, free options like Solitude are best here. Path to Exile isn’t too bad either, but you can’t tap out and lull your opponent into a false sense of security with that. If you can exile the creature as your opponent tries to enchant it with Twin, you can net a tasty two-for-one.
Finally, we have the very best of the sideboard cards for dealing with the Modern unbans. Since Twin decks tend to make massive boards before killing you, Rakdos Charm can often be an Uno Reverse card that kills them instead with that last ability. What’s so great about it, however, is that it also hits Mox Opal and Faithless Looting decks. Exiling the graveyard is great against the latter, while blowing up an artifact is great against the former. If you can make BR at all, get this in your sideboard for the coming Modern season.
