The Modern Canon

By Jacob Van Lunen

Jacob Van Lunen began playing Magic in 1995. He has participated in organized play at every level of competition and was a member of the winning team at Pro Tour San Diego in 2007, thanks to an innovative draft strategy. As a writer, Van Lunen has had more than three hundred Magic strategy pieces published

This weekend, we'll have our first opportunity to play Modern Pro Tour Qualifiers. Modern is one of the most exciting PTQ seasons. Given the current state of the format, it seems as if we may see completely different archetypes enjoying success from week to week. Today, we'll be taking a look at the most successful Modern decks from the last week's Magic Online events.

Melira, Sylvok Outcast | Art by Min Yum

Aggressive decks have taken a new shape in Modern. Affinity remains the most popular of the aggro strategies, but aggressive blue-red Delver of Secrets strategies are quickly building a large following.

Combo remains strong. Scapeshift has catapulted to the top of the metagame since its Grand Prix victory. Splinter Twin strategies have also retained a large following. Melira Pod is still the most successful version of the Pod strategies, and the deck's win percentage is still incredible by all accounts. Green Tron decks have excellent matchups against the non-combo decks, but the deck's weakness to true combo strategies makes it a risky choice.

Control strategies have taken new shape. Red-White-Blue Control decks haven't been performing well. Jund has experienced a resurgence in an environment rich with Pod and Affinity. Discard spells in general seem quite strong these days, and the current lack of Spell Snares in the format encourage us to cast Dark Confidant. Blue Tron decks have begun emerging as the newest Control deck to take Modern by storm.

But not, you know, by Storm.

Let's check out some decklists!

Storm

Dolphan's Storm

Decklist Stats Sample Hand

Creature (4)

4 Goblin Electromancer

Sorcery (17)

4 Gitaxian Probe 2 Grapeshot 3 Past in Flames 4 Serum Visions 4 Sleight of Hand

Instant (18)

2 Desperate Ravings 4 Desperate Ritual 4 Manamorphose 4 Pyretic Ritual 4 Thought Scour

Enchantment (4)

4 Pyromancer Ascension

Land (17)

5 Island 4 Mountain 4 Shivan Reef 4 Steam Vents

60 Cards

Sideboard (15)

2 Blood Moon 1 Defense Grid 2 Echoing Truth 3 Empty the Warrens 4 Lightning Bolt 3 Shatterstorm

Deal Another Hand

Storm hasn't been very popular on Magic Online recently. The deck can be soft to Jund, where Thoughtseize and Inquisition of Kozilek backed up by a strong clock can cause some big problems. To make matters worse, Abrupt Decay deals with Pyromancer Ascension in a pinch. Still, the deck performs well in racing matchups where it has a significantly faster average clock than anything else. Unhindered, the deck can kill the opponent on turn three or four with high levels of consistency.

Delver

MR_Thompson's Delver

Decklist Stats Sample Hand

Creature (14)

4 Delver of Secrets 2 Grim Lavamancer 4 Snapcaster Mage 4 Young Pyromancer

Sorcery (10)

4 Gitaxian Probe 2 Pillar of Flame 4 Serum Visions

Instant (16)

1 Electrolyze 4 Lightning Bolt 3 Mana Leak 3 Remand 1 Spell Pierce 2 Spell Snare 2 Vapor Snag

Artifact (1)

1 Sword of Fire and Ice

Land (19)

6 Island 2 Mountain 4 Scalding Tarn 4 Steam Vents 3 Sulfur Falls

60 Cards

Sideboard (15)

2 Blood Moon 2 Combust 2 Counterflux 1 Engineered Explosives 1 Izzet Staticaster 2 Relic of Progenitus 2 Shattering Spree 2 Spellskite 1 Threads of Disloyalty

Deal Another Hand

Blue-Red Delver of Secrets decks have become, alongside Affinity, one of the best aggressive choices for the format. The deck aims to apply early pressure with Delver of Secrets and Young Pyromancer. From there, the deck controls the board with incredibly efficient disruption and burn spells. The deck is at its best against creature-based strategies, where it's virtually impossible to present any kind of board presence in the face of Lightning Bolt, Pillar of Flame, Electrolyze, Vapor Snag, and Snapcaster Mage.

Green Tron

kjon999's Green Tron

Decklist Stats Sample Hand

Planeswalker (4)

4 Karn Liberated

Creature (6)

1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn 1 Platinum Emperion 1 Sundering Titan 3 Wurmcoil Engine

Sorcery (12)

2 All Is Dust 4 Ancient Stirrings 2 Pyroclasm 4 Sylvan Scrying

Instant (2)

2 Nature's Claim

Artifact (16)

3 Chromatic Sphere 4 Chromatic Star 4 Expedition Map 3 Oblivion Stone 2 Relic of Progenitus

Land (20)

1 Cavern of Souls 1 Eye of Ugin 1 Forest 1 Ghost Quarter 4 Grove of the Burnwillows 4 Urza's Mine 4 Urza's Power Plant 4 Urza's Tower

60 Cards

Sideboard (15)

2 Nature's Claim 2 Ancient Grudge 3 Boil 2 Combust 2 Crucible of Worlds 2 Spellskite 2 Torpor Orb

Deal Another Hand

Green Tron decks put together all three Tron lands with startling consistency on the third turn. Once this is accomplished, the deck starts playing massive spells like Karn Liberated. The deck is strong against non-combo strategies, especially control decks. In a long game, the deck can eventually cast Emrakul, the Aeons Torn after searching for it with Eye of Ugin.

Living End

xigualy's Living End

Decklist Stats Sample Hand

Creature (28)

2 Avalanche Riders 4 Deadshot Minotaur 2 Faerie Macabre 4 Fulminator Mage 1 Jungle Weaver 4 Monstrous Carabid 1 Pale Recluse 3 Simian Spirit Guide 2 Spike Feeder 4 Street Wraith 1 Twisted Abomination

Sorcery (6)

3 Demonic Dread 3 Living End

Instant (7)

3 Beast Within 4 Violent Outburst

Land (19)

2 Blackcleave Cliffs 2 Blood Crypt 4 Copperline Gorge 1 Dryad Arbor 1 Forest 1 Godless Shrine 1 Kessig Wolf Run 1 Overgrown Tomb 1 Stomping Ground 1 Swamp 4 Verdant Catacombs

60 Cards

Sideboard (15)

2 Faerie Macabre 2 Anger of the Gods 2 Dismember 3 Ingot Chewer 1 Krosan Grip 3 Ricochet Trap 2 Slaughter Games

Deal Another Hand

Living End is a combo deck that aims to fill its graveyard with creatures before casting Living End off a cascade spell, killing all the creatures in play and filling its own board with bodies. The deck is at its best against non-blue creature strategies. Decks with a lot of countermagic pose a huge problem for the Living End deck.

Melira Pod

hadrianus37's Melira Pod

Decklist Stats Sample Hand

Creature (30)

1 Archangel of Thune 4 Birds of Paradise 1 Eternal Witness 4 Kitchen Finks 1 Linvala, Keeper of Silence 1 Melira, Sylvok Outcast 1 Murderous Redcap 1 Nekrataal 3 Noble Hierarch 1 Orzhov Pontiff 1 Qasali Pridemage 1 Ranger of Eos 1 Restoration Angel 1 Reveillark 1 Scavenging Ooze 1 Spellskite 1 Spike Feeder 1 Sun Titan 1 Viscera Seer 2 Voice of Resurgence 1 Wall of Roots

Instant (3)

3 Chord of Calling

Artifact (4)

4 Birthing Pod

Land (23)

2 Forest 3 Gavony Township 1 Godless Shrine 4 Misty Rainforest 2 Overgrown Tomb 3 Razorverge Thicket 1 Stomping Ground 1 Swamp 1 Temple Garden 4 Verdant Catacombs 1 Woodland Cemetery

60 Cards

Sideboard (15)

2 Abrupt Decay 1 Avalanche Riders 1 Aven Mindcensor 2 Creeping Corrosion 1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite 1 Entomber Exarch 1 Ethersworn Canonist 1 Harmonic Sliver 1 Path to Exile 1 Realm Razer 1 Sin Collector 2 Slaughter Games

Deal Another Hand

Melira Pod plays like a strong midrange deck, but, given the right circumstances, it can employ one of its two combo kills. The first involves Melira, Sylvok Outcast; Viscera Seer; and a persist creature—this allows the deck to gain infinite life with Kitchen Finks or deal infinite damage with Murderous Redcap. The second combo involves Archangel of Thune and Spike Feeder: This combination allows the deck to gain infinite life and make all its creatures get infinite +1/+1 counters. The deck is weak to decks with Anger of the Gods and other disruption/removal, but those are still rarities. The deck tends to have strong or even matchups across the board.

White-Black Tokens

Fosprey's White-Black Tokens

Decklist Stats Sample Hand

Creature (7)

3 Hero of Bladehold 4 Mirran Crusader

Sorcery (16)

4 Inquisition of Kozilek 4 Lingering Souls 4 Spectral Procession 4 Thoughtseize

Instant (10)

2 Doom Blade 4 Path to Exile 4 Zealous Persecution