Containing non-Eternal cards from the 2003 Eighth Edition release, Modern is one of MTG’s most beloved formats. Between Pro Tours, sudden ban announcements, and Regional Championships, Modern can evolve at an extremely fast clip, making it hard to keep up.
Now, after the conclusion of Regional Championship Baltimore, Modern has experienced yet another shakeup, with one deck in particular looking problematically powerful.
13 | Neobrand
Neobrand made a massive resurgence after Pro Tour Marvel Super Heroes thanks to preying on Modern’s vast expanse of fair strategies. The deck offers an extremely fragile combo that revolves around sacrificing Allosaurus Rider to Neoform or Eldritch Evolution. From here, you can cheat any number of game-winning bombs, like Griselbrand or Ureni, the Song Unending to win the game. Ghalta, Stampede Tyrant can even cheat Xenagos, God of Revels into play, swinging for 32 Haste damage!
To back this plan up, Neobrand runs a bizarre suite of free spells in the form of Pact of Negation and Summoner’s Pact. With a full playset of Consign to Memory, you can counter these cards’ delayed costs, completely erasing their downsides.
That said, because this combo is extremely fragile, the deck is extremely easy to adapt to. That’s exactly what happened at Regional Championship Baltimore, where Neoform Combo posted an abysmal 42% win rate, with extremely poor matchups against Devoted Druid Combo and Dimir Midrange. Considering this, the deck may be on its way out for now, but will reemerge when players aren’t prepared for it.
12 | Amulet Titan
Revolving around the Modern staple
Amulet of Vigor
Amulet of Vigor
Whenever a permanent you control enters tapped, untap it.
, Amulet Titan is a land-based combo deck that uses Bounce Lands to ramp out massive haymakers. By untapping lands like Simic Growth Chamber multiple times, you can build up tons of mana, casting Primeval Titan or a lethal Scapeshift early. From there, you can eventually copy your haymakers infinitely with Mirrorpool and Aftermath Analyst, winning the game.
For some time, Amulet Titan was one of the best decks in Modern, but it recently got slapped with a Lotus Field ban. This has made the deck’s
Aftermath Analyst
Aftermath Analyst
When this creature enters, mill three cards. (Put the top three cards of your library into your graveyard.)
{3}{G}, Sacrifice this creature: Return all land cards from your graveyard to the battlefield tapped.
loops significantly slower and forced it to rely on Cultivator Colossus to win games. While the deck is still playable, the nerf seems to have brought it down a peg.
Still, Amulet Titan performed relatively well at Regional Championship Baltimore, putting one copy of itself into the top eight. Throw in the potential power boost this deck will get in Reality Fracture’s
Hexhaven Invigorator
Hexhaven Invigorator
Vigilance
Whenever this creature is dealt damage, you may search your library for up to that many land cards, put them onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle.
, and Amulet Titan might be back on the upswing.
11 | Boros Energy
Boros Energy is a fair midrange deck in Modern, revolving around a suite of synergistic creatures that can take over the game with just a few resources. Guide of Souls and Ocelot Pride are the titular pair, overwhelming the board with a cat token army. Throw in Ajani, Nacatl Pariah and Goblin Bombardment to flip it, and Boros can control the board while dealing tons of damage.
Since this creature package doesn’t take up much space, Boros Energy can back it up with tons of versatile removal. Galvanic Discharge, for example, can kill opposing creatures while setting up bigger Energy plays with Wrath the Skies. If that weren’t enough, Thraben Charm acts as a Swiss Army Knife, capable of killing creatures, destroying core enchantments like Urza’s Saga, and exiling graveyards.
While this deck hasn’t been well-positioned with Modern’s recent metagame shifts, that may well change soon. Notably, Boros Energy does have a positive matchup against both Prowess and Basking Broodscale Combo, which are considered the best decks in the format right now. As a result, Boros Energy will be an archetype to watch during the Regional Championship season this coming month.
10 | Ruby Storm
Ruby Storm offers a surprisingly consistent turn 2-3 combo deck that revolves around cost reducers like Ral, Monsoon Mage, or Ruby Medallion. From there, casting a series of fast mana spells like Pyretic Ritual and Impulse Draw spells like Wrenn’s Resolve builds up your Storm count. Then, either by Ultimating Ral or casting Past in Flames, you hit critical mass, Grapeshotting your opponent to death.
Generally, if your opponent doesn’t interact with your game plan, Storm can consistently win the game during the opening turns. Because of this, Storm has a fantastic matchup against Modern’s fairer strategies, like Izzet Affinity and Boros Energy, losing outright if they don’t keep a hand full of hate.
All of that said, Storm does have a fair few pitfalls that keep it at the bottom of this list. If you don’t draw your removal, just one Drannith Magistrate loses you the game. Other fast combo decks, like Neobrand, can also race Storm easily while offering better interaction for the matchup. If that weren’t enough, Storm can, albeit rarely, lose to itself, drawing cards in the wrong order.
Even if this is the case, Storm offers an extremely intricate combo deck that can be rewarding for a dedicated pilot. If you’re feeling lucky, winning any matchup with this deck is possible with some strong draws.
9 | Green Eldrazi Tron
Eldrazi Tron uses the classic Urza’s Tower, Mine, and Power Plant to create seven colorless mana with just three lands. This can ramp out massive game-ending spells like Ugin, Eye of the Storms, or Devourer of Destiny ahead of time.
The deck then combines this with a vast suite of stax pieces, like Trinisphere and Chalice of the Void, to force opponents to play at a slower pace. With Karn, the Great Creator grabbing the perfect silver bullet for any situation, you win the game by stopping your opponent over and over.
Lately, Eldrazi Tron has adapted a mono-green shell, using The Hobbit’s
Giant’s Boulder
Giant’s Boulder
When this artifact enters, scry 2. (Look at the top two cards of your library, then put any number of them on the bottom and the rest on top in any order.)
{1}, {T}: Add one mana of any color.
{7}, {T}, Sacrifice this artifact: Destroy target permanent.
as a means to fix its draw and act as a fixing piece. This unlocks
Sowing Mycospawn
Sowing Mycospawn
Devoid (This card has no color.)
Kicker {1}{C} (You may pay an additional {1}{C} as you cast this spell.)
When you cast this spell, search your library for a land card, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle.
When you cast this spell, if it was kicked, exile target land.
as a powerful midrange engine, finding your missing Tron land while exiling your opponent’s mana.
Because of this, Eldrazi Tron beats decks like Ruby Storm and Prowess that get bogged down by its hate pieces. Sadly, in the current format, most decks don’t really care, with fast combo outspeeding Eldrazi Tron and other Eldrazi decks not caring about your Stax pieces. Despite this, like many of the weaker Modern decks on this list, Eldrazi Tron can have busted draws, giving it game in different matchups.
8 | Izzet Affinity
Despite being heavily targeted at Pro Tour Marvel Super Heroes, Izzet Affinity remains one of the best decks in Modern. Your goal is to pair a vast array of zero-drop artifacts with cards like Weapons Manufacturing and Pinnacle Emissary, to overwhelm the board quickly. Capable of powering out Kappa Cannoneer as early as turn one, Affinity’s most busted hands are almost impossible to beat.
Thanks to powering out massive boards of threats quickly, Affinity decks absolutely devastate any other MTG deck trying to play fair, like Izzet Prowess, Esper Blink, or Dimir Control decks. Add four maindeck Tormod’s Crypts as splash damage for graveyard decks, and Affinity has a particularly strong Goryo’s Vengeance matchup.
Sadly, because Affinity has been this format’s bully for quite some time, every single MTG deck you play against will have targeted hate for your deck. Whether it’s Shatter the Sky or Vexing Bauble, multiple common MTG cards can blow Affinity out single-handedly. With poor matchups against faster combo decks like Basking Broodscale combo, Affinity’s success depends on what decks it hits.
7 | Slumbering Trudge Eldrazi
After being the most successful deck at Pro Tour Marvel Super Heroes, Fight Rigging Eldrazi has taken a backseat to its Broodscale cousin, but is still a decent metagame choice. Focused around Secrets of Strixhaven’s Slumbering Trudge, this deck uses cards like Fight Rigging and Mosswort Bridge to power out game-ending Eldrazi Titans as early as turn two.
Even if your opponents prevent you from casting free spells, this deck can often just ramp into your Eldrazi Titans fairly easily. Modern all-stars Kozilek’s Command and Sowing Mycospawn come in clutch here, giving this deck a surprisingly strong midrange plan. Add Fanatic of Rhonas as another mass-ramp piece that synergizes with Slumbering Trudge, and this deck can play both game plans seamlessly.
Between an excellent ramp plan and some fast wins, this deck has extremely strong matchups into Izzet Prowess, Dimir Midrange, and Boros Land Destruction. In return, this deck struggles against the new Devoted Druid Combo deck, as well as the stronger Esper decks in the format.
6 | Devoted Druid Combo
While it hasn’t emerged all that recently, Devoted Druid Combo is the newest wrinkle in Modern’s metagame, offering a blisteringly fast creature combo deck that beats up on decks that don’t interact. The core combo revolves around assembling
Devoted Druid
Devoted Druid
{T}: Add {G}.
Put a -1/-1 counter on this creature: Untap this creature.
and
Vizier of Remedies
Vizier of Remedies
If one or more -1/-1 counters would be put on a creature you control, that many -1/-1 counters minus one are put on it instead.
through tutoring options like
Green Sun’s Zenith
Green Sun’s Zenith
Search your library for a green creature card with mana value X or less, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle. Shuffle Green Sun's Zenith into its owner's library.
and
Nature’s Rhythm
Nature’s Rhythm
Search your library for a creature card with mana value X or less, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle.
Harmonize {X}{G}{G}{G}{G} (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its harmonize cost. You may tap a creature you control to reduce that cost by an amount of generic mana equal to its power. Then exile this spell.)
. Generating infinite mana, you can then win in any number of ways.
The rest of the deck includes a subset of mana dorks, like
Delighted Halfling
Delighted Halfling
{T}: Add {C}.
{T}: Add one mana of any color. Spend this mana only to cast a legendary spell, and that spell can't be countered.
or
Birds of Paradise
Birds of Paradise
Flying
{T}: Add one mana of any color.
, plus ways to make them tap for more mana, like
Badgermole Cub
Badgermole Cub
When this creature enters, earthbend 1. (Target land you control becomes a 0/0 creature with haste that's still a land. Put a +1/+1 counter on it. When it dies or is exiled, return it to the battlefield tapped.)
Whenever you tap a creature for mana, add an additional {G}.
and
Leyline of Abundance
Leyline of Abundance
If this card is in your opening hand, you may begin the game with it on the battlefield.
Whenever you tap a creature for mana, add an additional {G}.
{6}{G}{G}: Put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control.
. The Leyline is particularly notable here, creating explosive starts alongside
Dryad Arbor
Dryad Arbor
(This land isn't a spell, it's affected by summoning sickness, and it has "{T}: Add {G}.")
while serving as an infinite mana outlet. By leveraging
Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu
Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu
You may activate abilities of creatures you control as though those creatures had haste.
{T}: Add two mana of any one color. Spend this mana only to activate abilities of creature sources.
and
Tyvar, Jubilant Brawler
Tyvar, Jubilant Brawler
You may activate abilities of creatures you control as though those creatures had haste.
+1: Untap up to one target creature.
−2: Mill three cards, then you may return a creature card with mana value 2 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield.
, you can give your mana dorks pseudo-Haste, setting up turn two wins.
So long as you’re willing to learn the combo lines this deck has, Devoted Druid Combo offers players an extremely polarizing matchup spread, essentially turning your tournament run into a gamble. The deck absolutely crushes the controversially problematic Basking Broodscale combo, being its only truly bad matchup. It’s also quite good against other noninteractive decks like Neoform Combo and, strangely, Dimir Midrange.
In return, this deck has extremely poor matchups against decks that can interact well with it, namely Modern Prowess. Other removal-heavy decks, like Boros Land Destruction and Esper Blink, are also awful matchups. Since all of these decks are popular right now, Devoted Druid Combo is a risky deck to play, but if you’re looking to beat up on Modern’s current Broodscale menace, this is your best choice.
5 | Boros Land Destruction
Quietly putting up respectable results on the regular, Boros Land Destruction is the most frustrating deck to play against in MTG Modern, and arguably in all of MTG. This pure control deck takes advantage of Modern’s lack of basic lands, using effects like
Cleansing Wildfire
Cleansing Wildfire
Destroy target land. Its controller may search their library for a basic land card, put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle.
Draw a card.
and
Field of Ruin
Field of Ruin
{T}: Add {C}.
{2}, {T}, Sacrifice this land: Destroy target nonbasic land an opponent controls. Each player searches their library for a basic land card, puts it onto the battlefield, then shuffles.
to strip your opponent of mana. Combined with removal like
Path to Exile
Path to Exile
Exile target creature. Its controller may search their library for a basic land card, put that card onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle.
and
Wrath of the Skies
Wrath of the Skies
You get X {E} (energy counters), then you may pay any amount of {E}. Destroy each artifact, creature, and enchantment with mana value less than or equal to the amount of {E} paid this way.
, Boros Land Destruction can literally clear every permanent off of your board.
Once you’ve run out of plays, Boros Land Destruction can start using utility lands like
Cori Mountain Monastery
Cori Mountain Monastery
This land enters tapped unless you control a Plains or an Island.
{T}: Add {R}.
{3}{R}, {T}: Exile the top card of your library. Until the end of your next turn, you may play that card.
and
Castle Ardenvale
Castle Ardenvale
This land enters tapped unless you control a Plains.
{T}: Add {W}.
{2}{W}{W}, {T}: Create a 1/1 white Human creature token.
to get ahead. Eventually, through 1/1 tokens,
Solitude
Solitude
Flash
Lifelink
When this creature enters, exile up to one other target creature. That creature's controller gains life equal to its power.
Evoke—Exile a white card from your hand.
, and
Kaheera, the Orphanguard
Kaheera, the Orphanguard
Companion — Each creature card in your starting deck is a Cat, Elemental, Nightmare, Dinosaur, or Beast card. (If this card is your chosen companion, you may put it into your hand from outside the game for {3} as a sorcery.)
Vigilance
Each other creature you control that's a Cat, Elemental, Nightmare, Dinosaur, or Beast gets +1/+1 and has vigilance.
as a Companion, Boros can close the game.
Similar to the Devoted Druid combo, Boros Land Destruction also has a polarizing matchup spread, but it’s a fair bit more consistent. Frankly, this deck beats up on any and every creature strategy, having fantastic matchups into Izzet Prowess, Affinity, Goryo’s, and much, much more.
In exchange, the current big bad of the format, Basking Broodscale combo, and Slumbering Trudge Eldrazi, are borderline unwinnable matchups. This also means Boros Land Destruction is a bit of a gamble to register, but it has incredibly solid matchups against most of the field.
4 | Goryo’s Vengeance
With the rise in faster combo decks, Goryo’s Vengeance is in quite a strong position in Modern. The deck offers a midrange plan with a combo finish, leaning on resurrecting Atraxa, Grand Unifier with its namesake card. Psychic Frog can get Atraxa into the graveyard reliably, while drawing tons of cards with Quantum Riddler.
The rest of this deck packs strong, free interaction, keeping your opponent off-balance. Force of Negation can counter fast Neoform combo wins, while Solitude can ensure Basking Broodscale doesn’t get out of hand. Ephemerate is the secret glue here, doubling up on Solitude triggers while dodging Quantum Riddler and your namesake card’s downsides.
With Atraxa essentially shutting the game down against fair decks, Goryo’s Vengeance boats a slightly positive matchup against fair decks like Boros Energy and Izzet Prowess. Its wide suite of interaction gives it a fair chance against fast combo decks like Storm and Neobrand, too. This, more or less, gives Goryo’s Vengeance an even matchup or better against most of the field.
Despite covering a lot of bases, however, Goryo’s Vengeance still has one truly bad matchup. With tons of maindeck graveyard hate and a game plan that’s immune to this deck’s midrange plan, Izzet Affinity is extremely difficult to beat. Yes, you have sideboard hate like Wrath the Skies, but just one
Kappa Cannoneer
Kappa Cannoneer
Improvise (Your artifacts can help cast this spell. Each artifact you tap after you're done activating mana abilities pays for {1}.)
Ward {4}
Whenever this creature or another artifact you control enters, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature. It can't be blocked this turn.
is usually enough to beat you. Eldrazi Tron, Esper Blink, and Boros Land Destruction can also cause Goryo’s some issues thanks to its inability to pressure slower decks.
3 | Esper Blink
Esper Blink is basically a spinoff of Esper Goryo’s that focuses more on Blink strategies using cards like
Flickerwisp
Flickerwisp
Flying
When this creature enters, exile another target permanent. Return that card to the battlefield under its owner's control at the beginning of the next end step.
and
Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd
Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd
Flash
Whenever Phelia attacks, exile up to one other target nonland permanent. At the beginning of the next end step, return that card to the battlefield under its owner's control. If it entered under your control, put a +1/+1 counter on Phelia.
instead of reanimating
Atraxa, Grand Unifier
Atraxa, Grand Unifier
Flying, vigilance, deathtouch, lifelink
When Atraxa enters, reveal the top ten cards of your library. For each card type, you may put a card of that type from among the revealed cards into your hand. Put the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order. (Artifact, battle, creature, enchantment, instant, land, planeswalker, and sorcery are card types.)
. This creates a much grindier strategy that thrives on constant value created by Blinking cards like
Overlord of the Balemurk
Overlord of the Balemurk
Impending 5—{1}{B} (If you cast this spell for its impending cost, it enters with five time counters and isn't a creature until the last is removed. At the beginning of your end step, remove a time counter from it.)
Whenever this permanent enters or attacks, mill four cards, then you may return a non-Avatar creature card or a planeswalker card from your graveyard to your hand.
and
Quantum Riddler
Quantum Riddler
Flying
When this creature enters, draw a card.
As long as you have one or fewer cards in hand, if you would draw one or more cards, you draw that many cards plus one instead.
Warp {1}{U}
.
With lots of cheap removal options available, like
Solitude
Solitude
Flash
Lifelink
When this creature enters, exile up to one other target creature. That creature's controller gains life equal to its power.
Evoke—Exile a white card from your hand.
,
Fatal Push
Fatal Push
Destroy target creature if it has mana value 2 or less.
Revolt — Destroy that creature if it has mana value 4 or less instead if a permanent left the battlefield under your control this turn.
, and
Prismatic Ending
Prismatic Ending
Converge — Exile target nonland permanent if its mana value is less than or equal to the number of colors of mana spent to cast this spell.
, Esper Blink is very good at stopping the more fragile decks in Modern. This supposedly gives the deck a positive matchup against the two most popular decks in the metagame, Prowess and Broodscale, but according to Baltimore’s win rates, Prowess looks even, while Broodscale is unfavorable.
While this might mean Blink drops down the charts in the coming weeks, it still has a fair few good matchups, beating Esper Goryo’s, Dimir Midrange, Devoted Druid Combo, Slumbering Trudge Eldrazi, and a fair few other strategies. Most of Blink’s bad matchups are relatively close, too, with Ruby Storm being the most problematic to face.
2 | Prowess
Modern Prowess is an aggressive deck that chains together cheap spells to power up aggressive creatures. In Modern, you have access to free spells like Mishra’s Bauble and Mutagenic Growth, allowing Monastery Swiftspears to swing for lots of damage early. By combining Slickshot Show-Off and Violent Urge, this deck can often one-shot opponents out of nowhere.
In the past, this deck has been a bit too fragile to see consistent success, but Tarkir Dragonstorm’s Cori-Steel Cutter gave it a major shot in the arm. Now, alongside cantrips like Preordain and card advantage like Expressive Iteration, Prowess can offer both fast starts and consistent pressure. Throw in burn spells that double as removal, like Lightning Bolt, and Prowess can also get rid of combo creatures in a pinch.
Thanks to recent metagame shifts, Prowess is currently in a decent spot. Many of Modern’s most popular decks, like Devoted Druid Combo, are incredible matchups for Prowess. The deck’s mix of countermagic and pressure also makes it a decent choice into the swath of new fast combo decks. In exchange, Prowess has a bad matchup into decks that play early threats it can’t deal with, like Izzet Affinity and Slumbering Trudge Eldrazi.
Despite offering a negative win rate overall, Izzet Prowess is now considered one of the best decks in Modern after its fantastic performances in both Spotlight Series: The Hobbit events. Frankly, its current matchup spread makes the deck a bit suspect at the top level, but after performing well time and time again, this deck appears to be here to stay.
1 | Basking Broodscale Combo
The Basking Broodscale combo was creeping up in play rate heading into Pro Tour Marvel Super Heroes, and it eventually had a breakout performance at Regional Championship Baltimore. The deck focuses on assembling a combo between its namesake card and Blade of the Bloodchief, making infinite mana and an infinitely big Basking Broodscale. Throw in Walking Ballista or Glaring Fleshraker, and the game ends immediately.
Speaking of Fleshraker, Magic’s broken Eldrazi gives this deck another combo-ish win with Kozilek’s Command. On top of offering incredible draw, ramp, and mana, Glaring Fleshraker essentially turns this card into a Fireball. Throw in a bunch of cheap hate cards like Vexing Bauble and Emrakul, the Promised End as a top-end finisher, and you’ve got quite a strong gameplan.
Following the results of Regional Championship Baltimore, it’s exceptionally clear that Basking Broodscale combo is the best deck in Modern by a noticeable margin. It basically has a positive matchup against Modern’s entire field, with only one truly bad matchup against Devoted Druid combo. After its extremely dominant performance, Modern players will certainly look to adapt to this deck for future events, but for now, it is the de facto best deck in the format and may need bans if players cannot adapt to it.
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