Prior to the release of Modern Horizons sets, The Rock was a powerful choice in Modern for many years. Whether you were playing Jund to gain access to Lightning Bolt and other potent red cards or simply sticking with Golgari to have better mana, the goal was to win grindy games through incremental advantages.
Unfortunately, many of the Golgari mainstays, such as Dark Confidant and Liliana of the Veil, have largely been power crept out of Modern. Generating small advantages is just not a reliable strategy when cards like The One Ring are legal. In order for The Rock to have success once again, a lot had to change.
Interestingly, one player managed to win a recent Magic Online Modern Challenge playing a unique version of The Rock that is quite up to the task. This version combines some old-school elements with newer elite synergies that help the deck thrive.
The pilot has been singing the deck’s praises for a while now, and this breakout performance certainly draws more attention to it. To understand exactly why this deck has been able to succeed, we need to look at the more recent developments that give this deck a real shot in the metagame.
Agatha’s Soul Cauldron Gives New Life
- Mana Value: 2
- Rarity: Mythic Rare
- MTG Sets: Wilds of Eldraine
- Card Text: You may spend mana as though it were mana of any color to activate abilities of creatures you control. Creatures you control with +1/+1 counters on them have all activated abilities of all creature cards exiled with Agatha’s Soul Cauldron. Tap: Exile target card from a graveyard. When a creature card is exiled this way, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control.
Undoubtedly, the biggest difference between this deck and other variants of Golgari midrange that have existed in the past is the presence of Agatha’s Soul Cauldron. Agatha’s Soul Cauldron has primarily been used as a combo piece in most decks that play it. Golgari Yawgmoth in Modern made great use of it as a way to combo even with Yawgmoth, Thran Physician in the graveyard.
Even though there are no combo kills to be had with Cauldron here, the synergies present give the deck a lot more staying power than typical Golgari midrange shells. One of the best cards to pair with Cauldron is certainly Grist, the Hunger Tide.
First of all, with Grist in play, you get to spew out creature tokens every turn cycle. This ensures that you have creatures in play to target with Cauldron. Grist also mills cards, making it more likely you’ll find creatures with good activated abilities to copy.
Speaking of which, because Grist is an Insect when not on the battlefield, it’s an awesome card to exile from your graveyard with Cauldron. Your creatures with +1/+1 counters on them now let you make Insect tokens or remove opposing threats as needed.
There is also a plethora of other creatures to dig for with great activated abilities to utilize in grindy games. Aftermath Analyst helps you get a big mana advantage. Getting to return your Fetchlands and copies of Urza’s Saga is a great option to have.
Haywire Mite is a nice tool to have versus Grinding Breach if you have Cauldron in play. Getting to tutor it up with Urza’s Saga is a nice luxury.
Definitely the most devastating card to pair with Cauldron is Fulminator Mage. If you have Grist in play and Fulminator Mage exiled, you essentially prevent your opponent from sticking any non-basic lands long-term. Fulminator Mage is a game breaking card versus Belcher and various big mana strategies.
It’s a bit surprising to only see one copy in the maindeck, but there’s a full playset in the 75. Even though many of the creatures listed above are one-ofs, between Grist and Malevolent Rumble you churn through your library pretty fast.
Updated Supporting Cast
- Mana Value: 4
- Rarity: Mythic Rare
- MTG Sets: The Lorde of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth
- Card Text: Indestructible. When The One Ring enters the battlefield, if you cast it, you gain protection from everything until your next turn. At the beginning of your upkeep, you lose 1 life for each burden counter on The One Ring. Tap: Put a burden counter on The One Ring, then draw a card for each burden counter on The One Ring.
The rest of the deck is focused on pulling you ahead and keeping the opponent off-balance, even in games where you don’t find Cauldron. The best turn one play by far is Delighted Halfling. Delighted Halfling is the perfect mana dork for this deck. It allows you to sneak Cauldron, The One Ring, and Grist through opposing Counterspells, which is incredibly important.
Delighted Halfling also has the upside of surviving in the face of Orcish Bowmasters. Unsurprisingly, this deck utilizes a playset of Orcish Bowmasters itself. Bowmasters is naturally a good card, and producing multiple bodies at once helps maximize Cauldron and Grist’s -2 ability.
Alongside Orcish Bowmasters, Fatal Push and Abrupt Decay prevent opposing threats from running away with the game. This deck is fully capable of killing all threats that Boros Energy brings to the table, all while Grist and The One Ring give you inevitability.
An Impressive Win
- Mana Value: 2BG
- Rarity: Rare
- MTG Sets: Strixhaven, Phyrexia: All Will be One Commander, Commander Masters, Outlaws of Thunder Junction Commander, Duskmourn Commander
- Text: Destroy each nonland permanent with mana value 2 or less. Add B or G for each permanent destroyed this way.
This deck’s resiliency gives you a great shot against most of the top decks in the format. Versus Boros Energy, you have a nice mixture of early removal, a sea of blockers thanks to Grist and Orcish Bowmasters, and an impressive late game with The One Ring and Urza’s Saga. Culling Ritual out of the sideboard can be the nail in the coffin,
Against Belcher and Eldrazi decks, Cauldron+Fulminator Mage is a devastating combo. Undercity Informer also comes in versus Belcher out of the sideboard. So long as you can get an activation out of it targeting the opponent, you get mill their entire library for an easy win.
Even when facing down Dimir Murktide, Grist can help keep the big flier in check. Meanwhile, sneaking in The One Ring or Grist under counter magic through a Delighted Hafling activation will easily swing games in your favor.
The difference that Agatha’s Soul Cauldron makes in giving this deck inevitability cannot be overstated. If you’re a fan of The Rock and similar strategies, it may be time to make some upgrades and bust the deck out once again.
