Coming off one of the biggest ban announcements in recent years back in December, players were very eager to see how Modern would shake out. Four powerhouse cards were unbanned, opening the door for a wide array of possibilities.
Unfortunately, while things looked promising in the first couple of weeks, the format has begun to show signs of diversity issues. Grinding Breach, Boros Energy, and Belcher combo make up a rather large portion of the Modern metagame. On top of that, many would argue these aren’t the most enjoyable archetypes to play against.
If there’s any glimmer of hope, it rests with the players and their abilities to adjust, even when things look bleak. The good news, at least, is that Modern has a lot of impactful tools and sideboard gems for MTG players to utilize to help conquer these matchups. Sometimes, if things are grim, you need to think outside the box in order to get the best edge you can.
Beating Boros Energy
Boros Energy has been Modern’s boogeyman since Bant Nadu bit the dust back in August. This deck is fast, robust, and flexible, making it a bit difficult to target. Nonetheless, there are some tools that can go a long way in improving the matchup.
Likely the most intriguing option seen in the past few days is none other than Forked Bolt. Good old Boros Burn made the top eight of a recent Magic Online Modern Challenge, which alone had a lot of players talking. However, others were quick to point out the three copies of Forked Bolt in the main deck.
Forked Bolt is obviously worse than all three-damage burn spells when it comes to dealing damage to your opponent. Yet, the upside of being able to either take down two threats from Boros Energy at once or ping an Ocelot Pride and still get some damage to your opponent’s face is bigger than you might expect. The latter option enables Spectacle for Skewer the Critics, which is also a big deal.
Not every deck will look to Forked Bolt, of course, but it’s an interesting consideration for decks looking to attack the opponent’s life total. For a tempo-oriented deck like Dimir Murktide that’s looking to stick one big threat and ride it to victory, Toxic Deluge is a great card to play in small numbers.
Toxic Deluge is a bit clunky, but the fact that it can clear away your opponent’s small creatures while leaving your Psychic Frog or Abhorrent Oculus intact is crucial. This lets you push your advantage without fear of dying on the crack back.
Lastly, if you’re looking to gain an edge in the Boros Energy mirror, one card that still manages to fly under the radar is Showdown of the Skalds. Boros Energy mirrors are often quite grindy, as cards like Phlage, Titan of Fire’s Fury do a great job stabilizing the board. In these spots, Showdown provides a big burst of card advantage while also letting you grow your threats to outsize the opponent’s.
Beating Grinding Breach
Next in the line of elite strategies, we have Grinding Breach. Mox Opal really turbocharged this deck, making it as fast as ever. Early on, it seemed like the existence of Meltdown would help keep Mox Opal decks in check. The problem is that sorcery speed artifact destruction isn’t as good as you might expect against a deck that can win in one turn. Plus, Emry, Lurker of the Loch is a rebuilding machine.
So, players are forced to look towards some other options. Given that Grinding Breach decks typically have a plethora of Nature’s Claim-style effects in the sideboard, relying on only Stony Silence isn’t enough. This brings us to two unique creature cards that do a nice job taxing Breach players: Kataki, War’s Wage and Thalia, Guardian of Thraben.
Kataki has the upside of taxing Urza’s Saga tokens. Thalia, on the other hand, punishes the opponent for slow-rolling Moxen, which can happen if they expect Meltdown or a similar effect. Beating Grinding Breach as a white creature deck isn’t easy, but overloading on a mix of these cards in the sideboard can let you steal games.
For green decks, being able to run Force of Vigor is a huge boon. You get to mess with Urza’s Saga and Underworld Breach at instant speed in addition to artifacts like Grinding Station.
Still, just know that Grinding Breach is not as vulnerable to hate cards as you might expect. Even a card like Karn, the Great Creator, which can be a house against Breach, is answered cleanly by Consign to Memory. This deck is on the rise, so don’t hesitate to dedicate a lot of resources to the matchup.
Beating Belcher and Beyond
Belcher is third on the list of incredible Modern decks, but frankly, beating Belcher is a little more straightforward. For decks like Orzhov Blink or even Boros Energy, assembling the combination of Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd and White Orchid Phantom is a great way to punish Belcher players.
Every turn, you get to blink out Phantom and blow up one of your opponent’s “lands.” Due to their lack of basic lands, this is a great path to victory.
For ramp decks with Ugin’s Labyrinth, The Stone Brain can help you cheese the matchup. Getting rid of your combo opponent’s win condition is a tale as old as time.
Just know that this plan isn’t foolproof in the face of Force of Negation and Flare of Denial. Once again, Belcher is more resilient than it looks, hence its success in the format.
Working to beat these three decks should be your top priority, but that doesn’t mean they are the only things to worry about. For instance, the rise in Orzhov Blink is notable. If you’re looking to play lower tier strategy, surprising your opponent with a card like Strict Proctor to punish all the enters-the-battlefield effects can go a long way.
We’re still just over a month into “new” Modern, so there’s still a lot of room for players to innovate and work towards punishing the best decks. Make sure to keep your eyes peeled for any other pieces of neat tech that might improve these matchups.