In Modern, there are a variety of successful strategies that reward you for cheating huge haymakers into play. From classic Reanimator shells to absurdly fast Neoform decks, getting big threats into play ahead of schedule isn’t too difficult.
One of the more unique archetypes that fits the mold, Izzet Eldrazi Breach, has also been on the upswing recently. Following multiple 5-0 Magic Online Modern League runs yesterday, this strategy is showing extra promise with a new addition from Edge of Eternities. Let’s see what this fun deck brings to the table.
Added Consistency
Your main goal when playing Izzet Eldrazi Breach is pretty simple. You want to find a copy of Through the Breach as well as a big Eldrazi to pair with it. Most of the time, this will be Emrakul, the Aeons Torn. From there, casting Through the Breach will enable a massive attack. Thanks to the Annihilator trigger, you’ll decimate your opponent’s board. In a format dominated by Fetchlands and Shocklands, dealing 15 damage to your opponent will often be enough to win.
In addition to Emrakul, Ulamog, the Defiler also makes an appearance as another huge bomb. There are a few ways to get cards into exile to make Ulamog a scary attacker. One method is to Imprint another Eldrazi with Ugin’s Labyrinth. Another is to reveal Devourer of Destiny from your opening hand, choosing one card to keep on top and exiling the rest. Getting Emrakul into exile is a surefire way to make Ulamog as threatening as possible.
Since the release of Edge of Eternities, this archetype got some added redundancy with the printing of Terminal Velocity. Most of the time, Terminal Velocity is going to function as a slightly more expensive Through the Breach. However, you do get the bonus of dealing a boatload of damage to your opponent’s creatures in the event you can’t win the game off one attack.
Having access to another win condition is nice. You’re less vulnerable to cards like The Stone Brain or Surgical Extraction as a result.
Acceleration, Interaction, and Card Selection
The rest of the cards in your deck fall into one of three categories. First, you have your accelerants. In the land slot, Ugin’s Labyrinth is an amazing card in this deck. Between Ulamog, Devourer of Destiny, Emrakul, and Nulldrifter, you have plenty of cards to Imprint. Ugin’s Labyrinth allows you to play Talisman of Creativity turn one, which serves as another card that speeds up your combo kills.
While Eldrazi Temple only synergizes with your Eldrazi spells, maximizing the power of Kozilek’s Command is huge. Kozilek’s Command serves as ramp so you can hard-cast your Eldrazi while also providing some other powerful modes. Being able to exile problematic threats like Ocelot Pride goes a long way towards buying you time to set things up.
This brings us to our second group of cards: your interaction. With Kozilek’s Command and Kozilek’s Return in the mix, you have plenty of ways to answer early threats. Kozilek’s Return excels versus small creature decks like Boros Energy, especially because triggering its final ability is easier than it looks. Even Evoking Nulldrifter will get the job done.
You also have two copies of Remand in the maindeck, alongside some elite sideboard options. Consign to Memory versus Eldrazi and decks with lots of triggered abilities as well as Torpor Orb versus Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd shells both go a long way in improving different matchups.
Finally, you have card selection. For a deck that relies on finding Through the Breach and Terminal Velocity to close games, having ways to churn through your library is essential. Devourer of Destiny, Kozilek’s Command, and Nulldrifter all help in this area. Stock Up is a great option, too, though some players will use Portent of Calamity in this slot as a neat ramp payoff.
Fighting Different Matchups
Ultimately, Izzet Eldrazi Breach isn’t in the top echelon of Modern strategies. Still, it presents a pretty robust gameplan that lines up well in a variety of matchups.
Against creature decks, the Kozilek’s Return package does a good job staving off early pressure. Versus Eldrazi ramp, accelerating into Through the Breach should pull you very far ahead.
While you can struggle against decks with lots of Counterspells, Nulldrifter and Stock Up make it easier to rebuild. Plus, you have a lot of ways to fight back out of the sideboard, including Mystical Dispute and Flusterstorm.
Racing faster combo decks like Ruby Storm can be tough. Even there, though, if you expect to play against the deck at your next local event, adding copies of Spell Snare may let you steal games. Spell Snare has plenty of strong targets in other matchups, including Psychic Frog and Phelia.
In this sense, despite the deck’s weaknesses, you have game against most of the popular archetypes in Modern and can adjust your flex slots for what you expect to face. For anyone looking to maximize their copies of Terminal Velocity they’ve opened, Izzet Eldrazi Breach is a solid choice.
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