Since the release of Modern Horizons 3, Boros Energy has been one of the most popular assertive archetypes in Modern. The combination of efficient threats and grinding ability makes the deck extremely powerful. With this in mind, it’s unusual to see any aggressive Boros Modern deck succeed without incorporating the Energy mechanic.
Yet, just yesterday, Magic Online user TheUnderworldBrewer 5-0’d a Modern League with a unique Boros shell that takes a more artifact-heavy angle. This deck combines elements from Boros Energy, Izzet Prowess, and Affinity all in one. If you’re looking for a deck that shines in attrition battles, this deck has you covered.
Maximizing Cori-Steel Cutter
At a baseline, this shell is built to maximize the power of Cori-Steel Cutter. With four copies of both Cutter and Steelshaper’s Gift in the mix, finding your broken equipment is easy. Cutter is an outrageously powerful tool that’s capable of applying pressure while simultaneously pumping out tokens that excel in grindy games. The only caveat is that you need to have a high density of free spells to ensure that you can cast Cutter early and still trigger its ability on the same turn.
Naturally, this deck utilizes a playset of Mishra’s Bauble to help the cause. Where things get interesting, however, is with the inclusion of four copies of Mox Opal and Mox Amber each. Besides being perfect follow-ups to Cutter, these artifacts also let you get the most out of Urza’s Saga. The extra mana can be funneled into Saga’s activated ability, and your Constructs are bound to be enormous with so many artifacts in the list.
Obviously, having access to eight Moxen gives you consistent access to fast draws. In order to make Mox Amber a reliable source of mana, though, you need a hefty number of legends. This is where the deck takes a chapter out of Boros Energy’s book.
Boros Legends Subtheme
Even though this archetype ultimately strays away from cards like Guide of Souls and Ocelot Pride that give Boros Energy such explosive potential, the elite legends that you’ll commonly find there all make an appearance. Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer has the highest ceiling of the bunch, threatening to take over games if left unchecked. Even ignoring the card advantage this Monkey Pirate provides, the Treasures give you a big mana boost while helping turn on Metalcraft for Mox Opal at the same time.
Haliya, Guided by Light serves as another early play that synergizes with your wealth of free artifacts. Having the luxury of Warping it and then casting it again on a later turn gives you a better shot at triggering Cutter in the event you run low on cards in hand.
In the two-drop slot, Ajani, Nacatl Pariah excels against aggro and midrange decks alike. Generating two threats at once is powerful, and if Ajani ever flips, your opponent is in trouble. To facilitate transforming Ajani, tutoring up Witch’s Oven with Saga is always an option.
Meanwhile, Phlage, Titan of Fire’s Fury is the ultimate finisher that gives you a ton of extra reach. Filling your graveyard is simple with Fetchlands, Baubles, and redundant Moxen that you can put straight into the bin via the legend rule. Pairing Phlage with Arena of Glory can produce a massive burst of damage, generally ending the game outright.
An Interesting Blend
Even if it may seem a little strange to pair these aggro and artifact themes together, this plan helps you attack from multiple angles over the course of the game. Against Dimir Midrange and control decks, having access to an artifact like Cutter that’s tough to get rid of and can overwhelm removal-heavy hands is a huge luxury. Saga has similar qualities, creating an overwhelming board state by itself without being exposed to counterspells.
On the flip side, your fast mana and Ragavan go a long way towards racing opposing combo decks. Ajani and Phlage then serve as game-breakers versus the creature-heavy decks, including Boros Energy and Jeskai Blink. With assertive and grindy tools at your disposal, this deck can take on a different role depending on the matchup.
Still, crafting your deck this way does have its downsides. By focusing so heavily on efficient artifacts, creatures, and Saga, you open yourself up to getting completely blown out by Wrath of the Skies. Unless you can bring back Phlage or flip Ajani immediately, you’re doomed once Wrath gets cast for X=2.
Abandoning cheap removal spells in favor of extra artifacts can also be problematic versus creature combo matchups like Samwise Combo. In this sense, despite giving you a lot of agency in how you approach a lot of matchups, this deck is far from foolproof.
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