Modern decks may fade away or rotate, but they never really die. They linger on in the hearts of adherents and their competitive records. Every time a card that might make the old deck return to glory is printed, you can bet the resurrection machine will be rolled out again. This time it’s Goblins’s turn, […]

Throughout Modern’s history, decks have risen and fallen in popularity. One of the most critical factors driving these shifts on the metagame ladder are changes to the card pool; a new set or a timely edit to the banned and restricted list can send a deck’s stock soaring or tumbling. However, not all of the […]

Dominaria leaks are well underway, and one recent card that’s grabbed my attention is Zhalfirin Void. Unlike the clunky and frivolous Karn, Scion of Urza, Void looks to be a snap-include for Colorless Eldrazi Stompy in some number. We do have a few things to consider before sleeving it up, though: what the card does […]

As the first tournament results since last month’s landmark unbans roll in, it has become abundantly clear that Bloodbraid Elf and Jace, the Mind Sculptor are going to be major players in the metagame going forward. Competitive players need a plan to face these cards. Fortunately, Modern’s card pool has plenty of options for exactly this […]

It’s been three weeks since Jace, the Mind Sculptor was unbanned. For the past three weeks, I have struggled with the card; the power is there, but an optimal shell has proven elusive. Judging by the lack of articles around the greater internet, it seems that most brewers are having similar problems. Today, I will […]

Bloodbraid Elf and Jace, the Mind Sculptor have been unbanned in Modern for a week now. Contrary to what we’ve heard since the announcement, the format is just fine, and perhaps even better: it’s fresher, to be sure, with new decks popping up abusing Modern’s newcomers and benefiting from the metagame warp. One development I […]

It’s only February, and we’ve already seen the most high-profile Modern event of the year. Pro Tour Rivals of Ixalan went totally according to plan: no Eye of Ugin shenanigans; no team of baby-genius-pros breaking the format in half; no flurry of bans raining down on the winning deck. So, business as usual, right? Wrong! […]

Last weekend was SCG Dallas, a Team Constructed Open that again featured Modern experts duking it out on the big stage. As one of the last datapoints before the upcoming Pro Tour, Dallas gives us a few interesting bits of information to work with. Today, we’ll focus on the cooler deckbuilding choices made by some […]

Modern used to come under fire in its early days for how focused its decks were. The format’s many linear decks gave onlookers and format dabblers the impression that Modern was but a mess of such decks “passing in the night,” like “two ships.” But focus isn’t everything, and dilution has its merits. As perception […]

Yesterday, Eli Shiffrin spoiled Blood Sun, a new card from Rivals of Ixalan. Modernites were quick to give the internet a piece of their mind, with thoughts ranging from the expectant “Wizards squandered an opportunity to nerf Tron” to the meme-level “I don’t want to be THAT guy, but this card will probably need a […]

I normally prefer waiting until spoiler season is over to begin publishing think pieces on the upcoming cards, but had to make an exception this week. The announcement of Merfolk Mistbinder in Rivals of Ixalan has profound implications for my Modern deck of choice. While adding green to Merfolk is something pilots of the deck have […]

Hello, Nexites, and welcome to a new edition of Deck of the Week. The new year is upon us, which means that Pro Tour Rivals of Ixalan is coming soon as well. As we gear up for the return to the first Modern Pro Tour in several years, we can expect to see pros exploring […]

Every year has its ups and downs, and so does every card. While this year blessed Modern with untold diversity, a few cards seem to have been left by the wayside. This article explores some of them in detail, reasoning why certain spells are perhaps best left in 2017. #5: Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet Amonkhet […]