In an ideal world, everything would be sunshine and roses for the Modern format in MTG right now. Sadly, it’s all been downhill since Modern Horizons 3 launched. As feared, this set completely warped the Modern metagame and a new broken combo deck reigned supreme. Thankfully, Nadu, Winged Wisdom did end up getting banned, but Modern’s problems haven’t magically disappeared…
Nadu may be gone, but Modern is still ruled by a few decidedly broken cards. King amongst these is The One Ring. Not only is this card the most expensive card in Modern, but it’s arguably the most powerful too. Offering protection and a potentially insane amount of draw, this card is a true staple and an absolute menace.
Given its power, almost every deck in Modern is running a few copies of The One Ring. This has pushed the card’s meta share to an insane level. Subsequently, many MTG players are calling for new bans, however, this card may not be the real problem. Regardless of which card is the true Modern menace, something undoubtedly needs to be done.
A Modern Menace
According to the latest figures from MTGGoldfish, The One Ring is the most popular card in the entire Modern format. This remains true even when you factor in lands, including basics. Claiming a staggering 44% of the Modern meta share at the moment The One Ring is absolutely everywhere.
This unprecedented level of popularity is bad for Modern, there should be no doubt about that. Not only does it make games more homogeneous, but it makes the format more expensive. At its cheapest, The One Ring costs $76 and since decks run 3.7 copies on average, getting into Modern is seriously expensive.
Since the release of The One Ring, Modern matches have often come down to who plays it first. Despite this immense power, Wizards of the Coast has been hesitant to ban the card or take action against it. This is due to the lack of a deck that abuses The One Ring. For better or worse, it’s a tool that every deck has equal access to.
“While present in several decks, there is no clear The One Ring deck terrorizing Modern. Being a unique combination of self-protection and card advantage, it is a strong card that helps prop up several varied strategies. Ultimately, we decided not to act against The One Ring.”
Wizards of the Coast
While The One Ring is undeniably problematic, according to players, an overwhelming meta share doesn’t trigger an automatic ban. Sol Ring is an auto-include in every Commander deck ever made, but that card’s still kicking too. Sadly, this likely means that The One Ring will continue to plague Modern for a long while. That doesn’t mean that new MTG bans aren’t needed, however.
The Real Problems
Currently, Phlage, Titan of Fire’s Fury is the second most popular nonland card in Modern. Boasting an impressive, or rather worrying 36% meta share, this card is similarly everywhere. Used in Boros, Mardu, and Jeskai Energy decks, as well as Storm and Domain lists, Phlage offers amazing repeat value. Just like The One Ring, you’d be foolish not to use this card.
Arguably more worrying than Phlage alone is the trend seen in the most played cards in Modern. The vast majority of the most popular cards all support one, or rather three decks. Now that Nadu is out of the way, Energy is oppressively dominant in Modern. According to MTGDecks, Boros, Mardu, and Jeskai Energy decks comprise 26% of the Modern meta.
Out of these decks, Boros is definitely the biggest problem, especially alongside The One Ring. As many MTG players have pointed out, these two strategies have essentially created a stalemate with one another. Boros Energy is deliberately targeting turn 3 or 4 kills to go under The One Ring.
With this in mind, some MTG players are calling for both The One Ring and cards from Boros Energy to be banned. Banning anything from Ocelot Pride, Ajani, Nacatl Pariah, Guide of Souls, Static Prison, or Phlage could do the trick. Whatever happens, it’s clear that multifaceted bans are needed to stop one MTG deck from completely overrunning the format.
That being said, the current meta share of Modern decks may not be wholly representative of the format. In fact, the top levels of Modern play suggest this problem isn’t nearly as bad as it seems.
Everything Is Fine?
Looking at recent major tournaments, the spread of results has actually been rather healthy. Admittedly, Boros and Mardu Energy are popular archetypes, claiming multiple wins, but they’re not the only deck capable of winning. Esper Reanimator, Temur Eldrazi, Dimir Murktide, and Ruby Storm have all picked up wins at recent large events.
Beyond these event-winning decks, there’s even more variety in decks achieving top-eight performances. There’s Lotus Breach, Eldrazi Tron, Living End, Mono Black Necrodominance, Amulet Titan, Merfolk, and even Mono Blue Belcher. Even with The One Ring being absolutely everywhere, Modern is a surprisingly diverse format at the moment.
Ultimately, this is a good reason not to go overboard with bans right now, since the Modern MTG format is clearly innovating and evolving. As time goes on, we may be left with a problem, however, right now things are pretty good.
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