Jund has been the bogey man of Modern since the first wave of bannings, so it's odd to think about a time in which Jund wouldn't be the most feared deck. For the most part, every other deck in the format was something you might expect to play against only once or twice over the course of a large tournament, mostly thanks to Modern's diversity.
However, this year's Grand Prix circuit demonstrated that we may have been worried about the wrong green deck. Melira Pod outright won three Grand Prix this year, while Jund "only" won two. Those two are clearly the most consistent performers, but Melira Pod is making a run at the top spot.
Melira Pod's combo kill is deceptive, as it's more of a backup plan than anything, which might lead to players over-sideboarding and giving Melira Pod a huge edge. Other than that, Jund and Pod are mostly attrition-based midrange decks, but the explosiveness and two-pronged attack give Melira Pod the edge.
Earlier last year, Josh McClain finished 2nd at Grand Prix Miami, losing to Pro Tour heartthrob Reid Duke in the finals. The Detroit finals was a rematch of the Miami finals, with both players even playing the same colors! This time, McClain defeated The Duke and claimed his first career trophy!
Josh McClain's Melira Pod
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