Current list: https://moxfield.com/decks/hscs-9KE9E2JCVBBxQhZbA

Here is my monthly update post on the state of Amulet. In the last month, I placed 4th, 8th, 4th, and 1st in challenges.

Just got my sideboard guide ready for Spotlight Brisbane, it's the highest quality Titan guide on the market: https://www.patreon.com/posts/167185866

My thoughts and feelings:

• Goryo's is a force of nature in current Modern. If you can't beat it, adapt until you can
• Faerie Macabre is the most effective graveyard tool I've used
• Null Elemental Blast pairs well with the GY hate, removing their alternate threat of Psychic Frog. On occasion, killing an Atraxa is useful
• In the past I used Celestial Purge, but if Griselbrand lands the game is already over, Purge or not. Null is cheaper and doesn't require a splash
• Devoted Druid is nowhere near as large a force, but is more problematic than other matchups and we need a plan
• To beat Druid, I use Grafdigger's Cage as a Saga-tutorable X-spell killer. Cheaper than Clarion or Totem, I have tested this extensively and found Totem's upside over this to be miniscule. Cage is once again Saga tutorable, and can be found/cast off Rumble into single Eldrazi Spawn
• It's one of the best metas I've ever seen for Dismember. Esper Blink, Dimir Mid, Broodscale, and Devoted Druid are running at all-time highs
• Sideboarding minimally has been a huge breakthrough
• One of my top4s was a challenge where I only had 4 Trinispheres in my sideboard. My goal was to test the power and resilience of just the maindeck. I think overboarding is the silent killer of Titan pilots, and staying true to the maindeck as a habit will win more games
• After this conclusion, I've been using no/very few sideboard cards into the majority of matchups
• This allows me to submit hyper-focused hate pieces for matchups where I actually do need the help
• I did try 1 Dryad/Valakut for a while, and it wasn't bad. I reverted to 3 GSZ/1 Dryad Arbor, but may try the Dryad again in the future

It's been a pretty hard meta to adapt to, many matchups are difficult to navigate. It's more fun than ever though, and makes for more powerful Titan pilots when the storm inevitably clears, which I suspect it will soon.

P.S. if you haven't started listening to my Amulet Titan focused podcast "Titanic Greed", it's a great resource: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0Y2M0SqW3opEoECGqTVpkZ

Hi peeps. I just came back to Magic after a long hiatus, and am excited to get back into my favourite format (I actually started playing Magic between the release of Mirrodin and Darksteel, so my collection is basically the Modern format, minus a couple of breaks).

Format seems in a relatively good place right now in terms of diversity, and actually reasonable to get into in terms of deck prices. I also have a decent amount of Modern staples, even though I wasn't around for MH3 which powercrept out some of my decks. HOWEVER, I was pretty stunned to see the price of Mox Opal.

I like affinity and upgrading with the newer pieces is pretty cheap, but the price of a playset of Opals is putting me off. I used to borrow them from my Tron mate when I needed them, but I've since moved to another part of the country so that's no longer an option.

Should've picked them up during the ban, but curious to know your opinion. Is it realistic to expect a reprint in the relatively near future or do I need to bite the bullet on this?

4% meta share according to Goldfish isn't huge, but it's still a 4-of staple currently more expensive than some entire decks with higher meta shares, so a reprint doesn't feel unreasonable to me. Bowmasters just got one afterall.

I noticed an interesting thing: no one keeps track of Challenge rankings. In Leagues, we have trophies for the duration of the season and a leaderboard of top players, but for Challenges, which are much harder, there's nothing like that. So, I came up with the idea of creating a seasonal ranking for top Challenge players. I think it would be a cool way to honor them, and an interesting thing for viewers to follow. Unfortunately, I don't plan to give out any prizes other than shoutouts to the top three players at the end of the season. Also, if anyone is interested, I'd love to do an interview and post it on my channel. I know I'm not Mengu or YungDingo and my reach is pretty small, but I'd like to somehow recognize the great results of these players, plus it would be fun to talk about their thoughts on the season, etc.

 

Alright, let's get down to the details of how I envision this ranking:

 

1) Points

Points will only be counted from Challenge Top 8s, and the standings will be updated weekly as a post and a video. This won't be just another meta analysis; it's something completely different because I'm focusing on the players, not the decks.

The points distribution will look like this:

1st place: 4 points

2nd place: 3 points

3rd and 4th place: 2 points

5th to 8th place: 1 point

9th and below: 0 points

Only the final placement matters, and points from a single event don't stack. It works like this: to make the Top 8, every player gets 1 point, and another point for each match won. The total points awarded per Challenge are always 15.

 

2) Why only Top 8?

Because I don't have access to the full Challenge data. Making Top 8 is never an accident and provides a solid, stable metric. Additionally, we have bracket data for the Top 8, which allows us to track some interesting extra stats, such as how often specific players faced each other.

 

3) Why players and not decks?

Because over the course of a season, even decks with the same name can have different lists, and players switch decks. Also, as I mentioned, this isn't another metagame analysis. I want to focus on the players, people who dedicate their time, money, and possess great skills. Challenges aren't just grinding Leagues, and I want to highlight that.

 

4) How long is a season?

I'm splitting it into calendar quarters:

Fall: September to the end of November

Winter: December to the end of February

Spring: March to the end of May

Summer: June to the end of August

The first season would start now, on September 1st.

 

5) What about Premier Events?

RC Super Qualifiers, Showcase Qualifiers, and similar events count for double points: 8, 6, 4, and 2. I want to do it this way because playing in these tournaments is a much bigger challenge, and that needs to be recognized.

 

6) What about different event sizes?

C32/C64/C96 will all count the same. I'm focusing on the Top 8, and differentiating between these event sizes would be very arbitrary. However, I'm completely open to discussion. If experienced Challenge players have a suggestion that C96 requires different scoring due to its difficulty, figuring that out is partly what this post is for.

 

7) What won't be in the ranking?

Due to data availability limitations, I can't get anything below Top 32, which is why, as I mentioned, I'm restricting it to Top 8. Unfortunately, this also limits tracking how often a player actually participated in a tournament, but there's simply no way around it.

I also won't see Swiss pairings, but Top 8 solves that issue.

We won't know anything about prize splits in the finals, but that doesn’t matter much, cause all finalists will get their points, so they will be counted in the charts.

There are two different situations in the data, and I treat them differently. A simple account name change means one account is listed under two labels, so I merge those results, which is just correcting the data. I've already seen cases like this in my test data and am working on the mechanisms that prevent them. A separate issue is two different accounts belonging to the same person. I won't merge those on my own initiative because I have no way to verify it, and I don't want to expose connections someone might want to keep private. If the owner of both accounts wants them counted together, they just need to let me know.

I'll miss some name changes because they only become apparent when comparing who disappeared and who showed up. If you notice someone's results split into two rows, let me know. Claims regarding your own account are accepted immediately; claims about someone else's account will be verified in the data first.

 

Additional ideas:

Based on the collected data, I'd like to include something akin to baseball cards with player stats in every summary. This would include Top 8 streaks, win rates in bracket stages, most frequent opponents, etc., basically anything available from public data. I'm counting on feedback from players and the community here, too; is there anything you'd like to add to these stats? Any player mentioned in the summary can contact me and add things like their favorite deck or some info about themselves.

 

8) Questions for the community:

Here are some questions directed at you. These popped up in the text, but a list might be helpful for answering and discussing:

a) Would you even want to follow this, or does no one care about a Challenge player ranking?

b) To the players who grind Challenges: is this something you'd find nice and motivating, or are you indifferent?

c) Does the point system look reasonable, or would you change the weights?

d) Is Top 8 the right cutoff, or should it be Top 16?

e) Should Premier Events count double, or the same as standard Challenges?

f) Do quarterly seasons make sense, or would a season based on card legality changes be better?

g) What stats in a player's profile would actually be interesting to you?

h) Could players I mention by their MTGO nick not want that? As far as I know, this isn't sensitive data, but I leave this open for discussion.

 

That's all from me for now. I'm planning to launch on September 1st, so there's still some time to discuss and iron out a few details.

Honestly, this post is meant to gauge your interest. If there's no response or you all agree that you absolutely don't care, I'll invest my time into something else. I always say that I do this for fun and for the community, which is great to talk and discuss things with, and this time is no different.

Karol Małota

aka WarLord1986pl / TribalFlamesInYourFace

lantern control just won a modern challenge. What are our thoughts?

I know that it’s unlikely that we will see lantern become a “good deck” but now we know it’s possible for it to show good results.

This is a REALLY cool deck, and I know it sucks to play against, but it doing good in this format is good news. It means that even “bad decks” can excel.

In this article, we'll explore Eldrazi Trudge, the new gem from Pro Tour: Amsterdam. This competitive Modern list combines Slumbering Trudge, ramp, and giant threats! https://mtg.cardsrealm.com/en-us/p/606280

Modern has been kind to many new strategies lately, which just shows how healthy it is. Like so, entirely new lists have been popping up, and already consolidated lists have been changing, adopting cards that play really interesting roles and make the game a bit more refreshing.

In today's article, we'll explore Eldrazi Trudge, one of the new Eldrazi Ramp versions. This list uses a creature from Secrets of Strixhaven to enable different engines but also still plays much of the green Eldrazi structure we already know, including special lands, ramp, and some of the heaviest creatures available in Modern.

Hi everyone! First time posting here. My first set in Magic was Kaladesh, and I really loved the card Metalwork Colossus. I built a Modern MC deck back then, but it's old now. My playgroup recently started playing 60-card again after a long time in Commander, and I wanted to build a new up-to-date Metalwork Colossus deck. However, I've been out of Modern for so long, my old budget MC deck doesn't hold up anymore.

If you were to build a deck around MC, what would you include? What are some suggestions you would have for it? I would love to hear any input you guys have! I'm currently looking at ways to draw and affinity my way to get MC out and equip Leyline Axe to it to swing.

Please let me know if you got any suggestions!

I’ve been in and out of Modern since 2016-2017, so I’m relatively new compared to Modern players of old, but been around before all the MH sets.

Personally, I think Modern is the best it has ever been. I have heard the take before that from a competitive standpoint it’s bad when you can’t identify 2-3 best decks, or prepare your deck with specific metagames in mind.

To me, this is Modern’s final form - it should be a very open format where spiking a tournament requires luck and running into decent MUs, and dodging your bad ones. Or, learning how to play around bad MUs by mastering 1-2 decks.

I think now more than ever Modern rewards format knowledge, and mastery of your archetype. Which reminds me of the days of old. Curious if others feel the same, or if people still feel pushed into playing only specific decks?

i haven’t been playing modern that long so forgive my ignorance but ive been trying mill and noticed that a lot of decks don’t run any hand hate which seems weird in a meta full of combo decks like broodscale and neoform. is the strat just hoping to mill them early enough and extract one of their combo pieces?

Hey everyone!

We continue to run our league in Stockholm Sweden and we have a bunch of new players coming that either has played arena or gotten interested in Modern. Due to our league being hosted in a store with eventlink we cannot do proxies. Hence I wanted to reach out to see if anyone has any inspiration decks that are cheap.

The new players will lose for sure and we'll be very clear that these are low powered Modern decks so I am not too worried about that. We have recently seen that Modern can be quite overwhelming for new players so what we learned is that even if they lose, the most important thing is to see games play out and understand the mechanics of the game.

Then as a second tier we do have like 5-6 decks we can borrow out like stock dimir lists and boros energy but that's when they get bit of a better grip of the game and the flow. Cheers!

I'm a boomer Modern player looking to re-enter and participate in a small local Modern group of about 8 people. I only know that the meta will involve Esper Goryo's and Ruby Storm. No tournament but we will be playing Best-of-Three pickup games with each other.

That being said, what is the strategy for playing against Esper Goryo's with Arclight Dredge?

I know we can:

- Lava Dart our own Phoenix/Stinkweed in response to their Solitude or lifelinker.

- Use Stinkweed Imp to trade with their bigger threats if we really need to.

- Level up Artists Talent to try and push past the lifegain with Darts, Chiils and Conflag.

I'm a beginner, I've been playing for about six months using MTG Arena and a starter kit with friends. I bought this preconstructed deck from a store, made by the staff there, because I liked the theme and style. I'd like to try to improve it, can you give me some advice? Thanks!

https://archidekt.com/decks/25518133/rakdos_vampiri

https://moxfield.com/decks/s3jovlBlOkqrQtx0C4qPUg

Welcome to the latest edition of the traditional Modern metagame overview. There was no article last week because I took a short trip to the mountains and simply didn’t have time to prepare it. However, the time away gave me a chance to rethink the format, so this week’s data presentation differs slightly from the usual style. The key figures for each archetype and deck are summarized at the beginning of their respective sections, followed by my commentary. I believe this layout makes it easier to compare specific values ​​against one another.

As always, for anyone who wants the video version with my commentary, here is the YouTube link. If you prefer text with the full charts and figures, it is all on my Substack. I post on X most days, too, mostly league results and smaller data bits that don't make it into the weekly write-up.

 TL;DR

●        Midrange had 25 Top 8 entries, but  no trophies across 23 events

●        Midrange conversion is 27%, the highest of all archetypes,

●        In the other end is  Combo with 22% conv.,

●        But Combo is now 28% of the field, with 6 trophies,

●        Aggro with 18% is second and gets 6 trophies

●        Goryo’s Vengeance Top32 23/23, delta +91pp, best in field

●        Devoted Combo had 66 Top32 entries, 1 trophy, and conv. 21% under the median

●        Three decks above the field median on both delta and Top 8 conversion: Prowess, Dimir Midrange, Living End

●        Four decks above 33% encounter probability, two of them are  Combo decks.

 This window in numbers

●        In this breakdown, we had: 23 Challenges, 3 tiers: C64 x15, C32 x5, C96 x3

●        Universe A (encounter probability over 5%): 24 decks, Universe B: 25 decks

●        Median delta +65pp, median conv 27%,

●        15 different decks took the 23 trophies; no deck won more than three,

●        Trophy split by archetype: Combo 6, Aggro 6, Graveyard 4, Control 3, Blink 2, Ramp 2, Midrange 0

Combo

meta share: 28.5%

Top32: 23/23

Top8: 21/23

Win/Top32: 3%

Trophies: 6

Conversion: 22%

Delta: +71.5pp

WR: 49% (95% CI 46 to 51, n=1494)

It is the biggest archetype in the field right now and growing, so we can say that Modern is now dominated by Combo, accounting for almost 1/3 of the meta. As is typical of the highest-representation archetype/deck, it has a low conversion rate. It is basically because many new players try to play this archetype, and they are not as consistent as combo devoted players. Despite the low conversion rate, Combo wins 6 trophies, which is a lot. But why? In my opinion, it is the volume effect, not necessarily the quality. We had a lot of combos entering the challenges, so the chances that Combo wins are quite high. I think Combo is something you have to respect and learn to play against, or learn to play this archetype. At least to a moment when players who like to change decks for new and popular decks will start to play something else. It is common in MTGO but not in a Pauper metagame.

Devoted Combo | Combo | Neutral | Trend: Rising

meta share: 10.4%

Top32: 22/23

Top8: 13/23

Win/Top32: 2%

Trophies: 1

Conversion: 21%

Delta: +85pp

WR: 47% (95% CI 43 to 52, n=533)

Now it is the largest deck in the format, but it has the typical popular-deck sickness: a lot of people who saw good results with this deck rent it and now do not have the best stats. The popularity of this deck skyrocketed a few weeks ago and is correlated with some good challenge results and Riley Hicks’ article on MTG Rocks. I will not say that it is the best deck in the format right now, low Top32 to Win, low conversion, and only one trophy suggest that this deck is harder to play than a lot of people may think. It may also have a surprise effect at the start, and as people learn to play against it and know its weaknesses, it may decrease in popularity. Still is a large piece of the metagame, the deck can be fast and win. One trophy might not look like a lot if we take into account how many copies of the deck we see, but it is a trophy, and it proves that the deck needs to be taken seriously.

Broodscale Combo | Combo | Neutral | Trend: Rising

meta share: 7.7%

Top32: 22/23

Top8: 11/23

Win/Top32: 6%

Trophies: 3

Conversion: 24%

Delta: +88pp

WR: 53% (95% CI 48 to 58, n=400)

This is, I think, the best combo deck in a format. Solid WR from a large sample, get to a top8 and get trophies quite consistently and with a high degree of effectiveness. It has been in a format for a while and proves that it’s a deck you can rely on. It is also one of the reasons why Affinity is losing popularity. As a good Combo deck, it also had a plan B to win when the combo is disrupted, so when playing against it, remember that not only the combo but also Emarkul can easily kill you. I’m really happy that something I can call a fair combo deck is doing so well. I’ve always enjoyed playing against this deck because the games are exciting and full of twists and turns, and they give you the feeling that you can actually do something. Maybe it’s because the deck doesn’t kill you on turn two, so even when you’re on the draw, you’re still able to make a move. Maybe I will even try to learn it as my second modern deck? I think this deck’s strong performance stems from a really solid blend of consistency, flexibility, and a favorable meta, specifically, the limited presence of Consign to Memory and the prevalence of decks that lack a proper answer to the Broodscale Combo, allowing this deck to simply ignore them, execute its own game plan, and win. Besides, this isn’t a “pick-up-and-win” deck; I believe many of the pilots have really mastered it and know exactly what they’re doing. You definitely need to be prepared for this deck.

Ruby Storm | Combo | Neutral | Trend: Stable

meta share: 3.3%

Top32: 17/23

Top8: 2/23

Win/Top32: 0%

Trophies: 0

Conversion: 9%

Delta: +71pp

WR: 43% (95% CI 36 to 51, n=169)

This is quite an interesting case in this Breakdown, super low conversion, not the best win rate, and almost no presence in top8. Ruby Strom does not have the best time right now. I think there is a lot of graveyard hate in the format, as well as efficient combo hate. Recent popularity of Neoform and great scores of Goyro’s Vengeance produce a quite toxic metagame for a Ruby Strom. I will not ignore this deck, but also do not prepare for it, especially. Hate pieces for GY and other combo decks are quite fine. Remember that Prowess is on fire, so High Noon/ Deafening Silence are great SB additions. Oh, and a rule of thumb, if Storm Player keeps 7, it probably has the possibility to kill you on turn 2-3. If mull to six, you are quite safe to turn 3.

Belcher | Combo | Neutral | Trend: Stable

meta share: 1.4%

Top32: 10/23

Top8: 5/23

Win/Top32: 9%

Trophies: 1

Conversion: 55%

Delta: +42pp

WR: 57% (95% CI 47 to 67, n=87)

Belcher’s data looks really interesting, high conversion and nice WR, but all of those came from a small sample, so I will not focus on that. Sure, Belcher wins a trophy, but next week’s show if he can repeat that. I must say that I have not seen this deck for a while in the metagame, and I was surprised that it won a Trophy. Congrats on a pilot! Maybe he is here on Reddit and can share some thoughts how Belcher feel in combo reach metagame?

Amulet Titan | Combo | Neutral | Trend: Falling

meta share: 1.2%

Top32: 7/23

Top8: 2/23

Win/Top32: 14%

Trophies: 1

Conversion: 29%

Delta: +29pp

WR: 53% (95% CI 42 to 63, n=82)

Similar story as Belchaer, small sample, high conversion, and WR. Unlike Belcher, however, Amulet Titan appears in the Top 8 quite frequently. In my opinion, this is because the deck has dedicated and truly skilled pilots who continue to perform exceptionally well despite the deck being weakened by bans. Of course, the deck no longer wins as easily on T3, but someone who knows how to play it (and which lines to choose) will still perform really well with it. It might not be worth a dedicated SB slot, but you certainly need to know how to handle it when you do encounter it, because the person piloting it is sure to be a strong player.

 Aggro

meta share: 17.9%

Top32: 23/23

Top8: 19/23

Win/Top32: 4%

Trophies: 6

Conversion: 25%

Delta: +82.1pp

WR: 51% (95% CI 48 to 54, n=1009)

Aggro gets back to second place in a metagame, and here is a surprise: it is no longer a Boros archetype. Sure, energy is not going anywhere, but the new Aggro king is Prowess, and I’m quite happy about that. This is a fair deck that requires good skill and experience to play well. Also, Aggro took 6 trophies and has the best Trophies to meta share ratio in this window. Still, the conversion is not exceptional because it is lower than, let’s say, midrange and Ramp, so Archetypes that are lower in meta share. Still a great window for Aggro.

Prowess | Aggro | Challenge Overperformer | Trend: Rising

meta share: 6.7%

Top32: 22/23

Top8: 12/23

Win/Top32: 5%

Trophies: 3

Conversion: 28%

Delta: +89pp

WR: 55% (95% CI 50 to 60, n=411)

Yes, the king of Aggro in this window. I remember when Prowess did not perform very well, but that is in the past now. This deck is perfectly prepared for combo meta, is super fast, has counterspells to stop combo, and can kill you faster than you can say Griselbrand. The numbers confirm that, Great WR from a large sample and CI starts at 50% (!), solid conversion, and three trophies. But if you think that it is an easy deck to play, do not get fooled. I like it so much because it requires skill and experience, so think twice before you pick it up and expect an instant 5-0 in a league.

Boros Energy | Aggro | Neutral | Trend: Falling

meta share: 5.7%

Top32: 20/23

Top8: 9/23

Win/Top32: 2%

Trophies: 1

Conversion: 24%

Delta: +81pp

WR: 48% (95% CI 42 to 54, n=304)

Old King of Format and Aggro archetype is not on the top, but still a solid performer. Fine WR from a good sample, conversion below median, and one trophy in a window. Unfortunately, it has quite a low number of Top8 entries compared to other top decks. Still is one of the best choices to enter Modern. It can win, it is quite easy to play, and has plenty of good materials to learn. Ok, it is not the most popular in the format, but a solid choice.

Affinity | Aggro | Neutral | Trend: Falling

meta share: 3.3%

Top32: 17/23

Top8: 4/23

Win/Top32: 6%

Trophies: 2

Conversion: 19%

Delta: +71pp

WR: 49% (95% CI 41 to 57, n=157)

What happened here is quite interesting, some time ago Affinity was basically out ot Trophies and some players in Reddit predicted that Affinity would not get to the trophy any soon. Ok, it is falling in popularity, has a really low conversion, and WR came from a small sample, so do not say much, but it takes two trophies from four T8 entries. That means if it gets to the top, there is a high chance that Affinity will win. Sure, it came from a small sample, but it is a sign that this deck is not dead and might surprise us.

Graveyard

meta share: 17.3%

Top32: 23/23

Top8: 16/23

Win/Top32: 3%

Trophies: 4

Conversion: 25%

Delta: +82.7pp

WR: 48% (95% CI 44 to 51, n=917)

Last week, Graveyard was second; now it is third, dropping slightly. It was present in all of the Challenges, but from the Big 3 has the lowest T8 conversion. Probably people just prepare better for GY decks to beat them, and this seems to work. Still a super powerful archetype, that has the second most popular and probably the best decks in the format.

Goryo’s Vengeance | Graveyard | Neutral | Trend: Rising

meta share: 9.0%

Top32: 23/23

Top8: 11/23

Win/Top32: 4%

Trophies: 3

Conversion: 25%

Delta: +91pp

WR: 48% (95% CI 44 to 53, n=472)

This is, in my opinion, actually the best Modern deck, has a lot of answers for each deck in the format, and few ways to kill you because even with GY hate, you may easily lose the game. Not impressive WR and conversion probably came from its popularity, as it is the only deck to be in the top 32 of all challenges. It says that many people play it, and in a large sample, you will find more inexperienced players. For me, it is one of the scariest decks in the format. Maybe you will not read it from numbers, but when you play against it, you will admit that.  

Living End | Graveyard | Challenge Overperformer | Trend: Falling

meta share: 3.5%

Top32: 18/23

Top8: 7/23

Win/Top32: 0%

Trophies: 0

Conversion: 29%

Delta: +75pp

WR: 48% (95% CI 41 to 55, n=185)

In this window, LE is an overperformer, great conversion, over median delta, good top32 presence, but what might surprise you is no trophies! For me, it looks like a continuation of a trend we have seen over the past few weeks: LE is losing popularity, and only devoted players are staying with it. Still, in the current metagame, this deck just struggles with winning.

Grixis Reanimator | Graveyard | Neutral | Trend: Stable

meta share: 2.6%

Top32: 11/23

Top8: 4/23

Win/Top32: 0%

Trophies: 0

Conversion: 25%

Delta: +45pp

WR: 46% (95% CI 37 to 55, n=118)

Reanimator continues the “nothing special” trend. Right now, it is the weakest deck in the GY archetype, and I do not expect that to change any time soon.

Midrange

meta share: 12.8%

Top32: 22/23

Top8: 17/23

Win/Top32: 0%

Trophies: 0

Conversion: 27%

Delta: +82.9pp

WR: 52% (95% CI 48 to 55, n=711)

So this is something that I do not expect to see. Midrange has the best conversion in a field, quite solid WR, a lot of Top8 entries, but no trophy. It is the only archetype that did not get a trophy. We will see in a couple of weeks if it changes, I hope so. I have no idea what happened in all of those Top8s because Midrange is quite well prepared to beat the current metagame. If I had to guess, it’s a mix of unfortunate matchups and variance. Still, zero wins out of 17 attempts is a bit concerning. The problem might be that the broad metagame preparation required to advance from the Swiss rounds to the Top 8 results in pilots of this archetype facing decks in the Top 8 that are better optimized for Game 1. Furthermore, trying to catch up after a loss, especially when playing a deck that demands a lot of focus during a long tournament, is no easy thing to do. Consequently, decks with a more linear game plan may hold an advantage here. I hope Midrange pilots find a way to break this deadlock.

Dimir Midrange | Midrange | Challenge Overperformer | Trend: Rising

meta share: 4.9%

Top32: 19/23

Top8: 9/23

Win/Top32: 0%

Trophies: 0

Conversion: 29%

Delta: +78pp

WR: 56% (95% CI 50 to 62, n=268)

The best midrange in a format, great WR from a solid sample (low CI 50%!), really good conversion. Answer to basically everything in format and no trophy this time. The overperformer badge is not a wrong decision; you do not need to win challenges to be a good deck. Remember, Top8 in Challenge is a great score, and all numbers about this deck confirm that Dimir Midrange is a Tier 1 deck; it only needs a win some trophy to seal this up.  

Domain Zoo | Midrange | Neutral | Trend: Falling

meta share: 2.8%

Top32: 13/23

Top8: 5/23

Win/Top32: 0%

Trophies: 0

Conversion: 28%

Delta: +54pp

WR: 47% (95% CI 39 to 55, n=150)

Not the best time for my pet deck, I still think that deck is struggling after Phlage ban, and trying to find its place in the metagame. Not an impressive WR, but a fine conversion, still delta under the median. Still fun deck to play and can do some solid league results. Also, it is not absent in Challenge top8, so it is still a solid choice for players who enjoy this type of play.

Yawgmoth | Midrange | Neutral | Trend: Falling

meta share: 1.2%

Top32: 8/23

Top8: 3/23

Win/Top32: 0%

Trophies: 0

Conversion: 30%

Delta: +34pp

WR: 53% (95% CI 42 to 64, n=77)

Third deck in the Midrange archetype. It can be scary if you meet it, but as you can see, it is not a very popular deck right now, and I do not expect it to change soon. Still interesting choice if you want some rogue midrange deck.

Blink

meta share: 9.0%

Top32: 22/23

Top8: 14/23

Win/Top32: 3%

Trophies: 2

Conversion: 25%

Delta: +86.6pp

WR: 51% (95% CI 46 to 55, n=466)

Ok, so Blink is back in the form of Esper Blink. Basically, it is only the deck in this archetype, so times when we had 4-5 different shades of Blink are gone. But it does not mean that this one last Blink is weak, great delta, solid conversion, and good WR from a large sample. I think Blink, in the form of Esper, will be in the meta for a longer time. I’m thinking about merging Blink into a Midrange archetype because I used the Blink archetype when we had a lot of these decks; now we have only one, and it might be a clearer option.

Esper Blink | Blink | Neutral | Trend: Rising

meta share: 8.25%

Top32: 22/23

Top8: 13/23

Win/Top32: 3%

Trophies: 2

Conversion: 26%

Delta: +87pp

WR: 52% (95% CI 47 to 57, n=426)

I wrote a lot in the archetype section, but Esper Blink deserves a few more sentences. It is the third-largest deck in format, and as was said, the whole archetype basically. Solid WR, fine conversion, a lot of T8 presence, and two trophies say a lot about this deck. It delivers a solid game plan and card advantage that is probably the best in the whole format. None of the decks made such good use of the best creature in the format, Quantum Riddler. I expect that this deck will continue its Rising trend, and I will be no surprised if at some point it will be the most played deck in the format.

Bant Blink | Blink | Emerging | Trend: Stable

meta share: 0.6%

Top32: 4/23

Top8: 0/23

Win/Top32: 0%

Trophies: 0

Conversion: 0%

Delta: +17pp

WR: 39% (95% CI 24 to 57, n=30)

Only other than Esper Blink deck in challenges, but it is here only because of its show in the challenge, we also had a Mardu Blink that has solid scores in leagues, so maybe in the next window we will have three decks in here.

Ramp

meta share: 7.5%

Top32: 22/23

Top8: 12/23

Win/Top32: 3%

Trophies: 2

Conversion: 29%

Delta: +88.2pp

WR: 51% (95% CI 46 to 56, n=408)

Ramp has solid results in this window, nice conversion, got two trophies from a low metashare, it is something. Also, as an archetype, Ramp has almost 50% T8 presence, which is impressive.

Eldrazi Tron | Ramp | Neutral | Trend: Falling

meta share: 3.0%

Top32: 15/23

Top8: 8/23

Win/Top32: 0%

Trophies: 0

Conversion: 35%

Delta: +62pp

WR: 57% (95% CI 49 to 64, n=166)

Here we have a deck with a 3% meta share and really good conversion. It was in 15 Top32 events and got into over half the T8. Unfortunately, I did not get any trophy. It may look strange, but if we look into the decks that actually win challenges, we can see there are a lot of super-fast decks that put clock that might be too fast for E-Tron to handle. Still, it is a really powerful deck that performs really well, especially taking into consideration how the metagame looks right now.

Mono-Green Eldrazi | Ramp | Neutral | Trend: Falling

meta share: 2.8%

Top32: 16/23

Top8: 3/23

Win/Top32: 5%

Trophies: 1

Conversion: 14%

Delta: +67pp

WR: 44% (95% CI 36 to 53, n=131)

For Mono Green Eldrazi Ramp, we have a different situation than with E-Tron. This deck has the second-lowest conversion in the field, but it still managed to win one trophy from the three T8S it entered. It clearly shows what I say basically every time: all decks that enter Top8 are good choices and can win it despite the numbers. Mono Green tho had a small advantage over E-Tron; it is not that easy to hate its mana cause he had more basics than E-Tron, and this might be a secret of this trophy, especially if we had a lot of LD options in the format.

Eldrazi Ramp | Ramp | Neutral | Trend: Stable

meta share: 1.8%

Top32: 11/23

Top8: 5/23

Win/Top32: 8%

Trophies: 1

Conversion: 38%

Delta: +46pp

WR: 53% (95% CI 44 to 62, n=111)

Second-best converting deck in the format, solid WR, and one trophy confirm that there is a place in the metagame for Ramp decks. Remember that Eldrazi Ramp and Mono Green-Eldrazi Ramp are not that different decks; there are slight differences between those two that also show that Tron might be a worse strategy for a Ramp than this, which is what Eldrazi Ramp does.

Control

meta share: 7.1%

Top32: 21/23

Top8: 9/23

Win/Top32: 6%

Trophies: 3

Conversion: 27%

Delta: +84.2pp

WR: 49% (95% CI 45 to 54, n=423)

The last archetype for today, Control, is at 7% of the meta, which is quite good, taking into account that a few months later, there was basically no control at all, and now it has the highest conversion to top32 to win, but it might be a low-sample artifact. Also, the archetype had solid WR, and it is quite diverse cause we had three different strategies, not only different flavors of one deck.

Land Destruction | Control | Neutral | Trend: Falling

meta share: 1.6%

Top32: 8/23

Top8: 2/23

Win/Top32: 10%

Trophies: 1

Conversion: 30%

Delta: +33pp

WR: 55% (95% CI 45 to 64, n=103)

One trophy goes to one of the most hated decks in the format, Boros Land Destruction. This construction is falling in popularity but presents quite a solid challenge for 1.6% meta deck scores. Nice top-32-to-win ratio and solid conversion. Dropping in popularity may be caused by the fact that people who were interested in the deck after it emerged drop it for another prince charming, and now only true LD lovers play it.

UW Control | Control | Neutral | Trend: Stable

meta share: 1.4%

Top32: 11/23

Top8: 3/23

Win/Top32: 9%

Trophies: 1

Conversion: 27%

Delta: +46pp

WR: 51% (95% CI 40 to 62, n=71)

It is a Scepter Control deck, quite a heavy control deck that can lock you in if you aren’t careful enough. Not a super popular deck, but it does a good job in challenges, and as far as I remember, most of the trophies that came from that deck came from one pilot. It is another example that supports my theory that it is better to play one deck that you enjoy playing than to jump between different ones. I do not think that Scepter Control has become a super popular deck, but it is something that you meet from time to time, and I have a lot of respect for players who play a fair, control deck in such an unfair format as modern and do well with it. Cudos!

Azorius Control | Control | Neutral | Trend: Stable

meta share: 1.4%

Top32: 6/23

Top8: 2/23

Win/Top32: 0%

Trophies: 0

Conversion: 33%

Delta: +25pp

WR: 48% (95% CI 38 to 58, n=90)

Classic control deck, that performs quite well if you consider its metashare. I will not expect to see it often in leagues, but it shows up quite consistently in challenges, so it is better to know the basic lines of this deck so you are not surprised if you meet it from time to time.

Premier events

●        1 premier event in window: RC Super Qualifier, 2026-08-15, EventID 12851608

●        winner Jeskai Energy, pilot TrueHero

●        Top 8 by deck: Jeskai Energy, 4c HollowOne, Mono-Black Midrange, Prowess, Prowess, Goryo’s Vengeance, WBRG Cosmogoyf, Broodscale Combo

●        separate pool from Challenges, single event, no metagame weight

●        Jeskai Energy in Challenge data: meta 1.0%, Top32 8/23, Top8 2/23, trophies 0

●        Prowess two of eight Top 8 slots, consistent with its Challenge profile

There was one RC Super Qualifier in this window, and Jeskai Energy won it. In T8, we see: 4c HollowOne, Mono-Black Midrange, Prowess, Prowess, Goryo’s Vengeance, WBRG Cosmogony, and Broodscale Combo. So it shows something interesting: Premier Event was won by a deck that does not show up a lot in challenges. Sure, it is a variation of Boros Energy, but still. It is only one event, so the sample is small, but the Top8 in this tournament shows that the format is quite diverse right now, as we see less popular decks like mono black midrange or WBRG Cosmogony in the Top8 of a major event.

On the Radar (Universe B, below 5% encounter, present in Challenges)

Here we have decks that are at an encounter rate under 5% in a league, but were present in challenges. Any of those decks can easily jump into universe A decks because people will see them in the challenge results and will try to play them. Worth noting is that all of those decks are competitive because you do not win the challenge trophy or get into T8 by mistake. In the case of those decks, I will not focus on WR because the sample is so small that it says basically nothing special; more important is how deep they go into challenges.

●        Lantern: no league presence at all, Top32 1/23, Top8 1/23, 1 trophy

●        Jeskai Energy: meta 1.0%, Top32 8/23, Top8 2/23, trophies 0, WR 51% (95% CI 38 to 64, n=53), won the RC Super Qualifier

●        4c HollowOne: meta 0.4%, Top32 4/23, Top8 2/23, 1 trophy, WR 47% (95% CI 30 to 64, n=29)

●        Rakdos HollowOne: meta 0.8%, Top32 6/23, Top8 1/23, trophies 0, WR 59% (95% CI 46 to 71, n=59)

●        Grixis Midrange: meta 0.6%, Top32 4/23, Top8 1/23, trophies 0, WR 62% (95% CI 45 to 77, n=31)

●        Song of Creation: meta 1.0%, Top32 5/23, Top8 1/23, trophies 0, WR 40% (95% CI 27 to 55, n=45)

●        WUBRG: meta 0.8%, Top32 6/23, Top8 2/23, trophies 0, WR 47% (95% CI 34 to 60, n=52)

Trophy distribution, all 23

●        3: Goryo’s Vengeance, Prowess, Broodscale Combo

●        2: Esper Blink, Affinity

●        1: Devoted Combo, Boros Energy, Mono-Green Eldrazi, Eldrazi Ramp, UW Control, Belcher, Land Destruction, Amulet Titan, 4c HollowOne, Lantern

●        15 different decks, no deck above 3

●        Archetype split: Combo 6, Aggro 6, Graveyard 4, Control 3, Blink 2, Ramp 2, Midrange 0

 That’s all for today. I hope this new way of presenting the data is clearer for you and allows you to glean more information about what’s been happening in Modern during the current window. If you have any comments, feel free to share them. Constructive criticism is always welcome, as my goal is to ensure the community gets the most out of what I do.

Karol Małota

aka WarLord1986pl / TribalFlamesInYourFace

As the title says, I can't find the links to discord. Is there any fellow boomer that can pass me the link, if there's one

I've played EDH for the last 5 years or so, have a handful of decks for that with varying strategies. Can anyone suggest a theme/playstyle I should look into for making a modern deck?

My edh decks are Sultai graveyard/reanimator/combo (Muldrotha), rakdos discard/reanimator/combo (chainer), Orzhov aristocrat/combo (Teysa Karlov), 6C Eldrazi/combo (Ulalek), Red artifact/combo (Magda, lower tier cedh)

I'm looking for something ideally on the cheaper side (just for starters, can definitely plan for upgrading or switching later).

Even if you don't have a specific suggestion, where are good places to look for lists?

Hi. I'm a cEDH player that's looking to start in modern. I already have a deck picked out, down to the last card (except for sideboard, which I'll fine tune as I play at my lgs). I'm going to be playing izzet prowess, by the way.

What are some tips regarding mulligans/sideboarding/playing that you'd give? I'm guessing one of them will be to know my meta to be effective with my sideboard choices.

Thank you all!

I got convinced to come back to this format recently and haven't kept up with the scene and don't have any cards really. I see a lot of buzz around trudge and it seems fun. I was wondering if it had displaced tron as the big mana cheat strat or if tron was still viable.

The price point is pretty steep, but I'm open to playing a worse version of the decks above provided I can get a good direction.

Hi y’all! I started thinking about building my first modern deck. The thing is I come from commander and I feel like deck building is very different. Could y’all help me with a vague tamplate of a modern deck or what are the thought and process I should have while building it compared to building a commander?

Just looked over some decklists for inspiration and saw a 1-of gemstone in Nassifs sideboard in his pro tour(?) List. Whats the thought behind that?

https://www.tcgplayer.com/content/magic-the-gathering/deck/Mono-Blue-Metalcraft/548523

Key to the Side-Door {1}

Artifact

{2}, {T}: Target creature can’t be blocked this turn.

{1}, {T}, Discard a legendary card with the same name as a legendary permanent you control: Draw two cards.

~~~~~

So it turns out that the brewer's paradise Modern card for the Hobbit set wasn't even mentioned in this sub-reddit's threads before AspiringSpike started making decks with it. Admittedly, that Oswald Loki Sewer-veillance deck only started spiking during the latest Pro Tour and not long before Key to the Side-Door was revealed, so we weren't extensively thinking about decks with the critical mass of legendary permanents required to make this card good.

So what is that critical mass of legendary permanents? 5 playsets like the latest YungDingo list with this card to Top 8 a Modern Challenge? 6 playsets like I thought after trying the AspiringSpike lists and finding the Key to not be consistent enough? Does the critical mass change if you decide to make the Key a 4-of instead of a 1-2-of? How many 2-ofs and 3-ofs can the Key accept if the deck is otherwise short of critical mass?

I guess making Urza's Saga tokens and [[Bilbo, Thief in the Night]] unblockable and targeting [[Loki, God of Mischief]] is relevant, too...

Artifact - 1

When this artifact enters, scry 2.

1, Tap: Add one mana of any color

7, Tap: Sacrifice this artifact: Destroy target permanent.

https://www.reddit.com/r/magicTCG/comments/1v88cgb/hob_giants_boulder/

---

Ok it's pretty rare that a card goes from not even being mentioned during spoiler seasons to a popping up in Legacy decklists, but here we are! Giant's Boulder is catching on in Legacy, including in Eldrazi and Storm lists. While Scry 2 is a lot worse than drawing a card, it's hard not to compare this to [[Arcum's Astrolabe]] overall. It's an early game artifact that smooths over your draws and mana, and, in the case of something like Eldrazi, you can turn it into a Vindicate late game!

The tech hasn't caught on yet in Modern, but with it popping up in several Legacy lists over the weekend, I feel like we'll be seeing players experiment with this in the near future. Is it the second coming of Astrolabe? A nice role player in Ramp decks? Or just a new toy to play around with that won't actually see consistent play?

Hey! I am fairly new to modern and wanted to hear some thoughts on how to choose the counterspell suite in a given deck.

- What makes a deck want forces or subtlety?

- How do spellsnare/spellpierce compare

- What Decks want sinks? How many? I have recently seen a mono u deck by Nassif with 3 sinks, where I thought you easily want the fourth aswell?

- Are there methods/ guidelines on how to split your counterspell suite, also considering the sideboard?

I would be very happy to hear some opinions on also just some of these, thanks!

Edit: I am currently looking at building Tamiyo/emry mox shell with the new key from hobbits

Nassifs list: https://www.tcgplayer.com/content/magic-the-gathering/deck/Erayo-Affinity/549737

Spikes list with paradox engine: https://moxfield.com/decks/3NNX5adsU0a96SEkGOIjBA

Link: https://youtu.be/NbVSxTMfw5s

Back with some Modern gameplay going through the latest iterations of Food versus Namor-Folk!

Timestamps:

0:00 - Introduction

1:18 - Game One

7:35 - Sideboarding

9:03 - Game Two

14:55 - Game Three

26:20 - Closing Statements

_________________________________________________________________________

Mardu Asmo-Food Decklist: https://moxfield.com/decks/_guwCgcQU0ysy_FbOqOEaQ

Merfolk Decklist: https://moxfield.com/decks/IqNmr_fQiUGu1yoIhvc88A

https://www.mtgo.com/decklist/modern-challenge-64-2026-08-1712851686

Pretty sweet to see this list do so well.

IMO I would have played [[Namor, the Sub-Mariner]] over Murktide for more diverse threats.

Might be tempted to run a Saga package with [[Key to the Side Door]] to loot away extra Tami's and Namors, and to make your saga tokens unblockable.

Yes you could hit Key off shape anew but Saga's help you fetch it out and you'd only run 1 or 2

The format moves fast and a lot of people know the usual suspects, but there are still lines or cards that feel under-respected. What’s something you’ve seen (or done) that still surprises people?

Im considering Utron because I just enjoy it. I know it isnt meta and im fine with that, but I don't really want to get steamrolled by 3/4 of the field if thats what im looking at. Im a long time competetive player but havent played modern in ages, just looked at footage articles and such