Over the last few years, a multitude of MTG sets have brought a plethora of amazing Constructed staples directly to Modern. The overall power level of sets like MH3 and Lord of the Rings that added cards to Modern without impacting Standard or Pioneer is clearly extremely high. However, MTG Assassin’s Creed is a big exception.
MTG Assassin’s Creed was largely overshadowed by the release of MH3, and didn’t exactly live up to the hype. Overall, the set has made very little noise in the Modern format. This weekend, though, one particular MTG Assassin’s Creed powerhouse made its presence felt.
Well-known content creator Aspiringspike managed to make top 4 of a Magic Online Modern Challenge wielding a full playset of Basim Ibn Ishaq. The card is strong but hasn’t really made a splash in Modern. Perhaps this breakout performance will finally help the card get the respect it deserves.
Building around Basim Ibn Ishaq
- Mana Value: UB
- Rarity: Rare
- Stats: 2/2
- MTG Set: Assassin’s Creed
- Card Text: Whenever you cast a historic spell, draw a card. Basim Ibn Ishaq can’t be blocked this turn. This ability triggers only once each turn. (Artifacts, legendaries, and Sagas are historic.) Whenever Basim Ibn Ishaq deals combat damage to a player, put a +1/+1 counter on it.
Basim Ibn Ishaq is a very strong card. But, you can’t just slot it into any deck. In order to maximize it, you really want to have a high density of low-cost historic spells. Typically, you’ll want to try to play a historic spell immediately after slamming Basim Ibn Ishaq. This way, even if the opponent has a removal spell at the ready, you still got to draw a card in the exchange. Of course, if the opponent doesn’t have a removal spell, you can start running away with the game.
Basim Ibn Ishaq has shown promise in formats as powerful as Vintage. In Vintage, the presence of the all-powerful Moxen and other ultra-efficient artifacts helps a lot in letting you get consistent value out of the potent legend. In Modern, you have to work a bit harder, but Aspiringspike’s decklist absolutely accommodates Basim Ibn Ishaq.
As you might expect, a playset of Mishra’s Bauble makes an appearance. Mishra’s Bauble is the perfect artifact to pair with Basim Ibn Ishaq, since it requires no mana input and the opportunity cost of running it is very low. On top of that, though, this deck utilizes a playset of Mox Amber. Mox Amber is another strong follow-up, this time providing a mana boost with your legends. If Basim Ibn Ishaq lives long-term, Mox Amber will reliably tap for mana. The good news, though, is that there are more legends available to help abuse Mox Amber.
Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student is an excellent inclusion in this deck. It can enable Mox Amber as early as turn one, it generates card advantage, and it adds to the deck’s overall historic spell count. In addition to Basim Ibn Ishaq and Tamiyo, a few copies of Tasigur, the Golden Fang show up as well. Tasigur is a solid threat to cast later in the game that dodges a high percentage of Modern’s top removal spells. Tasigur may not be quite as good as it used to be, but it certainly pulls its weight alongside Basim Ibn Ishaq and Mox Amber.
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Elite Dimir Midrange Support
- Mana Value: UB
- Rarity: Rare
- Stats: 1/2
- MTG Set: Modern Horizons 3
- Card Text: Whenever Psychic Frog deals combat damage to a player or planeswalker, draw a card. Discard a card: Put a +1/+1 counter on Psychic Frog. Exile three cards from your graveyard: Psychic Frog gains flying until end of turn.
The rest of the deck is mostly comprised of Dimir midrange staples in Modern. Unsurprisingly, Psychic Frog is at the top of that list. Psychic Frog is another Dimir two-drop that snowballs if left unchecked. Its ability to grow makes it tough to kill with damage-based removal and makes combat a nightmare. You can always discard excess copies of Mox Amber to buff it, and pitching cards can help you cast a quick Tasigur.
The final creature that more than earns its spot is Orcish Bowmasters. Orcish Bowmasters doesn’t exactly have any potent synergies with other cards. Instead, it’s just a great card on its own that asks very little of you.
For interaction, this deck utilizes four copies each of Counterspell and Fatal Push. Fatal Push can pave the way for your Psychic Frogs, while also keeping problematic threats like Guide of Souls in check. Counterspell is extremely helpful against combo and big mana strategies.
It’s also worth mentioning the critical role that Spell Snare plays in this deck. Spell Snare, while narrow, answers a lot of the most problematic threats that could hit the table. Getting to stop cards like Amped Raptor from ever entering the battlefield is a huge deal.
On the draw, Spell Snare helps prevent you from falling too far behind. On the play, if you have Basim Ibn Ishaq and Mox Amber at the ready, you can counter the opponent’s follow up while still developing your board. Spell Snare is very well positioned right now, and this is an excellent shell to take advantage of its strengths.
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Strengths and Weaknesses
- Mana Value: B
- Rarity: Uncommon
- MTG Sets: Aether Revolt, Double Masters
- Card Text: Destroy target creature if it has converted mana cost 2 or less. Revolt- Destroy that creature if it has converted mana cost 4 or less instead if a permanent you controlled left the battlefield this turn.
Ultimately, there are some tradeoffs associated with focusing on the legends subtheme. On one hand, Mox Amber does a great job allowing you to both present pressure on the battlefield while and also interact with the opponent. The mana advantage is huge against decks like Boros Energy that can flood the board with creatures in short order.
On the flip side, though, the legendary package doesn’t line up great in the face of removal. If your Basim Ibn Ishaq or Tamiyo gets killed, Mox Amber provides little value. Psychic Frog and Orcish Bowmasters aren’t legendary, so you run the risk of drawing dead copies of Mox Amber.
In this sense, this archetype has high upside draws but is a little less resilient and consistent than traditional Dimir Murktide. Considering how prevalent the Energy decks are in Modern, there’s definitely some appeal to playing Mox Amber for quicker starts and abandoning cantrips like Preordain that can be a bit slow. Only time will tell if this build catches on, but for now, it’s nice to see MTG Assassin’s Creed cards getting their time in the spotlight.
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