Hello, and welcome back to Metagame Mentor, your weekly guide to the top decks and latest Constructed developments on the path to the Pro Tour. Through November 3, the current round of Regional Championship Qualifiers (RCQs) features Modern as the Constructed format for in-store events. This RCQ round enables competitive Modern players to qualify for their corresponding Modern Regional Championship in early 2025, which ultimately feeds into the second Pro Tour of 2025. RCQ participants in this round will receive a sweet copy of Sleight of Hand, while top finishers will earn a Supreme Verdict prize card.

After the August 26 ban of Nadu, Winged Wisdom and Grief, the Modern format has considerably shifted. To get RCQ participants up to speed, today's article goes over the metagame based on the first week of Modern tournaments following the ban. I will walk you through the top fifteen deck archetypes while explaining their strategy, key cards, and positioning after the ban.

The Post-Ban Modern Metagame

Modern is a nonrotating 60-card format that was introduced in 2011, allowing cards from expansion sets, core sets, and straight-to-Modern sets from Eighth Edition forward. To provide a metagame snapshot, I limited myself to tournaments held after the August 26 bans. I combined 352 decklists from scheduled Modern events on Magic Online and 203 decklists from Modern tournaments on Melee. The most-played cards across all main decks and sideboards provide a first bird's eye view of the post-ban Modern metagame.

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Last weekend's biggest tournament was the 169-player Nordic Masters, a two-day destination qualifier that awarded eight Regional Championship slots. The Top 8 featured eight different deck archetypes, and a unique brew took it down. "I love playing creature combo decks," Thomas Munk explained after he triumphed with Samwise Gamgee Combo, defeating Johannes Alberyd on Dimir Frogtide in the finals.

Munk's winning deck could not only assemble Samwise Gamgee plus Viscera Seer plus Cauldron Familiar for infinite drains, but it also had access to the game-winning combo of Amalia Benavides Aguirre plus Wildgrowth Walker. As the event's top decklists and video coverage showed, there are many different ways to find success without The One Ring or Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury.

This years Nordic Master is over! ❤️

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— Mindstage (@MindstageGG) September 1, 2024

To understand what decks to expect at the top tables of Modern tournaments, I awarded points to each deck equal to its rectified number of net wins (its number of match wins minus losses if positive and zero otherwise). Each archetype's share of total rectified net wins can then be interpreted as its share of the winner's metagame, combining popularity and performance into a single metric.

The "Other" category included Samwise Gamgee Combo, Domain Rhinos, Esper Martyr, Belcher, Twiddle Breach, Azorius Martyr, Izzet Murktide, Rakdos Soultrader, Dimir Control, Gruul Prowess, Sultai Vengevine, Four-Color Omnath, Mono-Black Coffers, Mono-White Midrange, Five-Color Creativity, and more.

In post-ban Modern, energy decks using Guide of Souls and Amped Raptor are clearly the ones to beat. Indeed, Boros Energy, Mardu Energy, and Jeskai Energy comprised 28.0% of the winner's metagame over the past week. Splashing for black or blue provides different strategic options, but these decks all share a similar core with inherently powerful cards.

Another similar set of archetypes is comprised of Gruul Breach and Gruul Eldrazi, which have many cards in common. As all these decks rely on Eldrazi Temple and Ugin's Labyrinth, I had combined them under a single Gruul Eldrazi header in previous articles. However, the choice between Through the Breach and Emrakul, the Promised End leads to vastly divergent card choices. As such, I've now split up these builds into two separate archetypes. Together, they represent 14.4% of the winner's metagame, and it rises to 18.4% if we also include Eldrazi Tron. Lands that tap for two mana remain as powerful as always.

One of the best approaches to beating energy decks is to sweep their board. Pyroclasm, Kozilek's Return, Toxic Deluge, or Supreme Verdict are helpful, although they won't answer all their threats. They might control a planeswalker like Ajani, Nacatl Avenger or an enchantment like Goblin Bombardment. This makes all-encompassing sweepers like Wrath of the Skies, Culling Ritual, or All Is Dust even better. In any case, you also need a way to beat a recurred Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury in the long game. You can either exile their graveyard, go over the top with a game-winning combo, draw heaps of cards with The One Ring, or use your own Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury. If you come prepared with the right answers, then the energy decks are certainly beatable.

One deck boasting a favorable matchup against Boros and Mardu Energy, based on the limited data available, is Gruul Breach. Combining All Is Dust to clear the board and Through the Breach as a knockout punch, it has all the right tools. It can also deploy The One Ring as early as turn three and pull ahead on resources. However, Gruul Breach notably struggles against Dimir Frogtide, which has enough disruption and interaction and can quickly turn the corner with Psychic Frog and Murktide Regent. However, Dimir Frogtide looks weak to Boros and Mardu Energy. If my assessment of these matchups is accurate (while emphasizing the early state of deck evolution and the limited available data) then a healthy, dynamic rock-paper-scissors cycle could emerge in Modern between Energy, Breach, and Frogtide decks.

To provide a detailed format primer for the RCQs, let's take a closer look at the 15 archetypes with the highest winner's metagame share since the bans. To do so, I've used a decklist aggregation algorithm that considers the popularity, performance, and synergy of individual card choices.

1. Boros Energy

4 Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury 4 Amped Raptor 4 Guide of Souls 4 Ajani, Nacatl Pariah 4 Ocelot Pride 4 Galvanic Discharge 4 Arid Mesa 4 Sacred Foundry 3 Lightning Bolt 3 Aether Hub 3 The One Ring 2 Flooded Strand 2 Arena of Glory 2 Elegant Parlor 2 Plains 2 Blood Moon 2 Marsh Flats 2 Static Prison 2 Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer 1 Mountain 1 Goblin Bombardment 1 Windswept Heath 3 Suncleanser 2 Containment Priest 2 Chained to the Rocks 2 Magebane Lizard 1 Jegantha, the Wellspring 1 Wear // Tear 1 The One Ring 1 Static Prison 1 Blood Moon 1 Soul-Guide Lantern

Fueled by Modern Horizons 3, the deck makes good use of the energy mechanic with Guide of Souls, Galvanic Discharge, and Amped Raptor. Meanwhile, the feline firepower of Ocelot Pride and Ajani, Nacatl Pariah puts considerable pressure onto the opponent. Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury is formidable in long games, especially when granted haste by Arena of Glory.

When playing against Boros Energy in your RCQ, remember to fetch basic lands to protect yourself from Blood Moon. Most Boros Energy decks use two or three copies of the enchantment in their main deck, and it can greatly punish a Modern mana base if you are not careful.

Over the past weeks, card choices have been evolving. By now, The One Ring has become a popular inclusion in the main deck of Boros Energy in lieu of Fable of the Mirror-Breaker. The inclusion of The One Ring provides formidable staying power in midrange mirrors, and it fits the deck well because Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury and Guide of Souls can regain the life you lost to its burden counters.

In the sideboard of Boros Energy, there is no longer a need for Harsh Mentor now that Bant Nadu is gone. This has freed up room for alternative answers. Recognizing the enormous popularity of The One Ring in the current Modern metagame, several Boros Energy players have been exploring Bonecrusher Giant or Fear, Fire, Foes! While these cards can circumvent The One Ring's damage prevention effect, Containment Priest, Chained to the Rocks, and Magebane Lizard remained prominent sideboard choices. Containment Priest stops Through the Breach and Goryo's Vengeance; Chained to the Rocks answers Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury and Suncleanser in the mirror match; and Magebane Lizard handles Ruby Storm. Ultimately, the perfect sideboard will depend on your local RCQ metagame expectations.

2. Mardu Energy

4 Thoughtseize 4 Marsh Flats 4 Ajani, Nacatl Pariah 4 Amped Raptor 4 Arid Mesa 4 Guide of Souls 4 Ocelot Pride 4 Orcish Bowmasters 4 Galvanic Discharge 3 Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury 2 Goblin Bombardment 2 Arena of Glory 2 Sacred Foundry 2 Godless Shrine 2 Bloodstained Mire 2 Fatal Push 2 Aether Hub 1 Plains 1 Elegant Parlor 1 Blood Crypt 1 Mountain 1 Raucous Theater 1 Static Prison 1 Chthonian Nightmare 4 Obsidian Charmaw 3 Magebane Lizard 2 Suncleanser 1 Jegantha, the Wellspring 1 Wear // Tear 1 Unlicensed Hearse 1 Thraben Charm 1 Deafening Silence 1 Reprieve

Mardu Energy has the same core as Boros Energy, but trades Blood Moon and a smoother mana base for higher card quality. Notably, Orcish Bowmasters gives an edge against Ocelot Pride or The One Ring, while Thoughtseize provides a clean answer to combo strategies. Additionally, Fatal Push can easily destroy Suncleanser after sideboarding, countering one of the best sideboard cards in the format against energy decks.

It's not clear whether the version with the black splash is better or worse since each comes with its own advantages and disadvantages, and the limited win rate data does not suggest a significant difference. Personally, I like the additional options provided by the black splash, but I also like having access to The One Ring, so I might look for a build that combines the best of both worlds.

3. Gruul Breach

4 Ancient Stirrings 4 All Is Dust 4 The One Ring 4 Karplusan Forest 4 Devourer of Destiny 4 Eldrazi Temple 4 Kozilek's Command 4 Sowing Mycospawn 4 Talisman of Impulse 4 Through the Breach 4 Ugin's Labyrinth 4 Grove of the Burnwillows 3 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn 3 Ulamog, the Defiler 1 Boseiju, Who Endures 1 Forest 1 Gemstone Caverns 1 Cavern of Souls 1 Kessig Wolf Run 1 Boseiju, Who Shelters All 4 Trinisphere 3 Kozilek's Return 3 World Breaker 2 The Stone Brain 2 Thought-Knot Seer 1 Boseiju, Who Shelters All

Gruul decks that leverage Eldrazi Temple and Ugin's Labyrinth come in a variety of builds. The version that I've labeled as Gruul Breach stands out for its ability to sneak in Emrakul, the Aeons Torn or Ulamog, the Defiler with Through the Breach. This sets up an immediate attack with annihilator. To support Ulamog, the Defiler and improve the deck's consistency, these versions almost always use four copies of Devourer of Destiny.

In the match's first game, if you're not sure if you're going to be up against Through the Breach or not, look at their mana base. It's not a guarantee, but Karplusan Forest or Grove of the Burnwillows mean your opponent likely has Through the Breach in their deck. Breach-less Gruul Eldrazi deck has a fetch land mana base instead because it needs to support Utopia Sprawl and Emrakul, the Promised End.

Based on the first tournaments after the August 26 ban, Gruul Breach is an early frontrunner in the new Modern. In the sideboard, now that Nadu is out of the picture, there is no longer a need for Run Afoul. Instead, The Stone Brain and Thought-Knot Seer provide relevant interaction against the other combo decks in the format.

4. Dimir Frogtide

4 Murktide Regent 4 Orcish Bowmasters 4 Polluted Delta 4 Counterspell 4 Fatal Push 4 Preordain 4 Psychic Frog 3 Consider 3 Darkslick Shores 3 Force of Negation 3 Spell Snare 2 Scalding Tarn 2 Undercity Sewers 2 Island 2 Sink into Stupor 2 Watery Grave 2 Subtlety 2 Spell Pierce 1 Cling to Dust 1 Toxic Deluge 1 Swamp 1 Misty Rainforest 1 Consign to Memory 1 Bloodstained Mire 3 Consign to Memory 3 Stern Scolding 2 Harbinger of the Seas 2 Break the Ice 1 Toxic Deluge 1 Thoughtseize 1 Glistening Deluge 1 Unlicensed Hearse 1 Surgical Extraction

In previous content, I had labelled this deck as Dimir Murktide, in recognition of its similarities to Izzet Murktide. Since then, I've seen many players affectionately refer to it as Dimir Frogtide, and I like that name as well. In any case, it's the format's premier interactive midrange deck, using countermagic and spot removal to disrupt the opponent. A turn-two Psychic Frog can single-handedly run away with the game, and Murktide Regent can turn the corner quickly as an 8/8 flier for two mana.

The card choices in this archetype are getting perfected for the post-ban metagame. Many successful players are shaving the inefficient Archmage's Charm, making room for main deck Consign to Memory. Colorless spells like The One Ring and Sowing Mycospawn are everywhere, and even if the opponent doesn't present a target, you could pitch Consign to Memory to Psychic Frog or Force of Negation. So, it's never a dead card. Another card that is trending up is Harbinger of the Seas, in main decks as well as sideboards. When playing against Dimir Frogtide, make sure to fetch basic lands to protect yourself!

5. Ruby Storm

4 Desperate Ritual 4 Wrenn's Resolve 4 Reckless Impulse 4 Pyretic Ritual 4 Manamorphose 4 Ral, Monsoon Mage 4 Ruby Medallion 4 Mountain 4 Glimpse the Impossible 3 Scalding Tarn 3 Wish 3 Past in Flames 2 Wooded Foothills 2 Valakut Awakening 2 Bloodstained Mire 2 Arid Mesa 2 Strike It Rich 2 Gemstone Caverns 2 Commercial District 1 Stomping Ground 3 Abrade 2 Blood Moon 2 Veil of Summer 1 Jegantha, the Wellspring 1 Past in Flames 1 Grapeshot 1 Empty the Warrens 1 Alchemist's Gambit 1 Pyroclasm 1 Flame Slash 1 Nature's Claim

Ruby Storm is based around Ruby Medallion and Ral, Monsoon Mage from Modern Horizons 3. With either of these cards on the battlefield, Pyretic Ritual and Desperate Ritual cost only one red, unlocking a huge mana boost. The cost of Reckless Impulse and Wrenn's Resolve is also reduced, allowing you to rapidly sift through your deck. The plan is to cast numerous spells in a single turn at a reduced cost, do it all over again with Past in Flames, and finish the job with a lethal Grapeshot. It's the platonic ideal of a Storm deck, and the strategy benefited from the ban of Grief.

Although turn-three kills are likely, Ruby Storm can win as early as turn two with a perfect draw. Despite this potential, the deck performed poorly at Pro Tour Modern Horizons 3, as many opposing sideboards were ready with cards like Damping Sphere, Magebane Lizard, and/or Drannith Magistrate. Right now, the aggregate Boros/Mardu Energy sideboard has between two and four copies of these cards, which should be enough to prevent Ruby Storm from taking the metagame by storm, but you have to keep respecting it. I'll be sure to keep my eye on these sideboard trends over the next few weeks.

6. Jeskai Control

4 Arid Mesa 4 Flooded Strand 4 Galvanic Discharge 4 Counterspell 4 Wrath of the Skies 4 Subtlety 4 The One Ring 3 Force of Negation 3 Tune the Narrative 3 Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury 2 Hallowed Fountain 2 Steam Vents 2 Plains 2 Spell Snare 2 Mystic Gate 2 Teferi, Time Raveler 1 Scalding Tarn 1 Thundering Falls 1 Meticulous Archive 1 Elegant Parlor 1 Minamo, School at Water's Edge 1 Arena of Glory 1 Island 1 Lórien Revealed 1 Prismatic Ending 1 Supreme Verdict 1 Monumental Henge 4 Consign to Memory 3 Obsidian Charmaw 2 Surgical Extraction 1 Mystical Dispute 1 Narset, Parter of Veils 1 Supreme Verdict 1 Celestial Purge 1 Force of Negation 1 Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury

Jeskai Control features spot removal, countermagic, card draw, sweepers, and everything else you would expect from a control deck. A key card in Jeskai Control is Wrath of the Skies, supported by Tune the Narrative and Galvanic Discharge. After sweeping the board and stabilizing, the plan is to pull ahead with The One Ring and win the game with Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury. This is the most popular Jeskai build, as variants based around Dress Down or Flame of Anor have grown rarer.

While Jeskai Control is favored against Boros and Mardu Energy, it struggles against Gruul Breach and other Eldrazi decks. After sideboarding, Obsidian Charmaw and Consign to Memory help out a lot against those strategies, but the matchup remains a challenge. Nevertheless, Jeskai Control remains a strong option for Modern RCQs. Control decks always take a bit of time to figure out their answers after a large metagame shift, and I wouldn't be surprised to see the deck rise in popularity in the coming weeks as control experts find the right mix of answers.

7. Gruul Eldrazi

5 Forest 4 Emrakul, the Promised End 4 Utopia Sprawl 4 The One Ring 4 Sowing Mycospawn 4 Kozilek's Command 4 Eldrazi Temple 4 Ugin's Labyrinth 4 Malevolent Rumble 4 Misty Rainforest 3 World Breaker 3 Ancient Stirrings 2 Talisman of Impulse 2 Kozilek's Return 2 Talisman of Curiosity 1 Cavern of Souls 1 Stomping Ground 1 Breeding Pool 1 All Is Dust 1 Kessig Wolf Run 1 Devourer of Destiny 1 Commercial District 4 Consign to Memory 2 The Stone Brain 2 Trinisphere 2 Spell Snare 2 Thrun, Breaker of Silence 1 Kozilek's Return 1 Bojuka Bog 1 Mystical Dispute

As mentioned, Gruul decks that leverage Eldrazi Temple and Ugin's Labyrinth come in a variety of builds. The version that I have now labeled as Gruul Eldrazi does not use Through the Breach, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn; or Ulamog, the Defiler. They also run fewer copies of All Is Dust and Devourer of Destiny.

Instead, Gruul Eldrazi uses Malevolent Rumble to ramp ahead and to fill up the graveyard with World Breaker, Kozilek's Return, and a variety of card types for Emrakul, the Promised End. To ramp into this big Eldrazi from turn one, the deck employs Utopia Sprawl, which also supports a splash for Consign to Memory after sideboard. Talisman of Curiosity provides an additional blue source. If you see any of these cards when playing against a Gruul deck, then you should no longer worry about Through the Breach. Instead, you can be pretty sure that you're up against this version, so prepare for your opponent to take control of you on one of your turns. For example, cast your spot removal spells before your opponent has a chance to use them against you. Recognizing these little details can give you an edge during your RCQs.

8. Amulet Titan

4 The One Ring 4 Primeval Titan 4 Arboreal Grazer 4 Urza's Saga 4 Amulet of Vigor 4 Gruul Turf 4 Explore 3 Lotus Field 3 Aftermath Analyst 2 Summoner's Pact 2 Boseiju, Who Endures 2 Forest 2 Shifting Woodland 2 Simic Growth Chamber 2 Crumbling Vestige 2 Spelunking 1 Hanweir Battlements 1 Vesuva 1 Mirrorpool 1 The Mycosynth Gardens 1 Expedition Map 1 Tolaria West 1 Urza's Cave 1 Commercial District 1 Otawara, Soaring City 1 Echoing Deeps 1 Kessig Wolf Run 1 Lumra, Bellow of the Woods 2 Firespout 2 Pyroclasm 1 Endurance 1 Bojuka Bog 1 Dismember 1 Radiant Fountain 1 Vexing Bauble 1 Boseiju, Who Endures 1 Azusa, Lost but Seeking 1 Force of Vigor 1 Cavern of Souls 1 Generous Ent 1 Colossal Skyturtle

Amulet Titan is an intricate ramp deck that exploits the synergy between Amulet of Vigor and bounce lands like Gruul Turf to power out Primeval Titan. With Amulet of Vigor in play, Primeval Titan can grab Hanweir Battlements and attack right away, setting up a dominant board position. Amulet TItan struggled against Nadu and Grief while it thrived against The One Ring, making it primed for a post-ban comeback.

From Bloomburrow, Lumra, Bellow of the Woods has enabled novel combo potential with its unique ability to return all lands from your graveyard to the battlefield. There's even an infinite combo! To go infinite, suppose that your graveyard consists of Lotus Field, Crumbling Vestige, Mirrorpool, and any other land—say, Forest—as Lumra, Bellow of the Woods enters. This might not be trivial to set up, but Aftermath Analyst helps fill the graveyard, and Summoner's Pact can find Lumra.

All four lands return untapped due to Amulet of Vigor or Spelunking. Next, Lotus Field, Crumbling Vestige, and Forest add six mana, including one colorless, before you sacrifice all of them to the Lotus Field trigger. Sink five mana into Mirrorpool to create a copy of Lumra, and loop this as often as you like, adding one mana every iteration. Eventually, you mill our entire deck, give Lumra haste with Hanweir Battlements, and use Kessig Wolf Run to attack for infinite damage!

9. Eldrazi Tron

4 Devourer of Destiny 4 The One Ring 4 Expedition Map 4 Eldrazi Temple 4 Karn, the Great Creator 4 Kozilek's Command 4 Ugin's Labyrinth 4 Urza's Mine 4 Urza's Power Plant 4 Urza's Tower 4 All Is Dust 4 Sowing Mycospawn 4 Thought-Knot Seer 4 Talisman of Resilience 1 Boseiju, Who Endures 1 Forest 1 World Breaker 1 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger 2 The Stone Brain 1 Trinisphere 1 Disruptor Flute 1 Tormod's Crypt 1 Walking Ballista 1 Cityscape Leveler 1 Ensnaring Bridge 1 Liquimetal Coating 1 Haywire Mite 1 Orbs of Warding 1 Chalice of the Void 1 Engineered Explosives 1 Dismember 1 Wurmcoil Engine

Besides Gruul Breach and Gruul Eldrazi, there's a third archetype using Ugin's Labyrinth, Eldrazi Temple, and Kozilek's Command. Eldrazi Tron tries to assemble the trio of Urza's lands by using Expedition Map and Sowing Mycospawn to find the missing copies. This enormous amount of colorless mana can then be sunk into Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger or Karn, the Great Creator. The deck's mana base means that it cannot easily slot in powerful green or red cards, but the potential to add seven mana on turn three is unparalleled.

10. Domain Zoo

4 Wild Nacatl 4 Arid Mesa 4 Leyline Binding 4 Leyline of the Guildpact 4 Lightning Bolt 4 Territorial Kavu 4 Tribal Flames 4 Wooded Foothills 4 Scion of Draco 4 Flooded Strand 3 Stubborn Denial 3 Nishoba Brawler 3 Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer 2 Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury 1 Arena of Glory 1 Blood Crypt 1 Steam Vents 1 Sacred Foundry 1 Plains 1 Temple Garden 1 Lush Portico 1 Xander's Lounge 1 Mountain 3 Pyroclasm 3 Damping Sphere 2 Unlicensed Hearse 2 Wear // Tear 1 Stubborn Denial 1 Jegantha, the Wellspring 1 Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury 1 Consign to Memory 1 Hidetsugu Consumes All

Now that Nadu, Winged Wisdom is gone, Domain Zoo is back. This disruptive aggro deck exploits the powerful combination of Leyline of the Guildpact and Scion of Draco. With Leyline of the Guildpact on the battlefield, Scion of Draco can come down as early as turn two while granting every one of your creatures vigilance, hexproof, lifelink, first strike, and trample. This can win the game by itself, and many Boros and Mardu Energy decks are ill-equipped to deal with it.

11. Esper Goryo's

4 Marsh Flats 4 Polluted Delta 4 Psychic Frog 4 Fallaji Archaeologist 4 Tainted Indulgence 4 Atraxa, Grand Unifier 4 Ephemerate 4 Goryo's Vengeance 4 Thoughtseize 3 Leyline Binding 2 Force of Negation 2 Solitude 1 Ulamog, the Defiler 1 Priest of Fell Rites 1 Flooded Strand 1 Godless Shrine 1 Hallowed Fountain 1 Island 1 Meticulous Archive 1 Plains 1 Shadowy Backstreet 1 Swamp 1 Undercity Sewers 1 Watery Grave 1 Waterlogged Teachings 1 Ketria Triome 1 Ziatora's Proving Ground 1 Emperor of Bones 1 Griselbrand 3 Consign to Memory 2 Toxic Deluge 2 Teferi, Time Raveler 2 Nihil Spellbomb 2 Drannith Magistrate 2 Suncleanser 1 Celestial Purge 1 Wrath of the Skies

Esper Goryo's aims to discard Atraxa, Grand Unifier to Psychic Frog or Tainted Indulgence, then returns her to the battlefield with Goryo's Vengeance. This provides a massive lifelink swing and a fresh grip of new cards. Afterwards, when Ephemerate is cast on an Atraxa that was brought back to life with Goryo's Vengeance, she returns as a new game object, which means that you won't have to exile her at end of turn.

Before the August 26 ban, Grief was an important piece of the deck, as you could blink the Elemental with Ephemerate. However, Esper Goryo's was successfully rebuilt with Thoughtseize and Leyline Binding as alternative forms of interaction. The deck may have gotten a little weaker as a result, but it remains competitively viable. With the replacement Thoughtseize and Leyline Binding, Esper Goryo's still has the ability to play like a control deck in disguise.

12. Living End

4 Curator of Mysteries 4 Generous Ent 4 Shardless Agent 4 Street Wraith 4 Subtlety 4 Ardent Plea 4 Force of Negation 4 Misty Rainforest 4 Living End 3 Waker of Waves 3 Endurance 2 Sink into Stupor 2 Hedge Maze 2 Striped Riverwinder 2 Press the Enemy 1 Boseiju, Who Endures 1 Breeding Pool 1 Hallowed Fountain 1 Temple Garden 1 Titanoth Rex 1 Colossal Skyturtle 1 Forest 1 Island 1 Meticulous Archive 1 Flooded Grove 3 Mystical Dispute 2 Foundation Breaker 2 Teferi, Time Raveler 2 Inevitable Betrayal 2 Force of Vigor 2 Dismember 1 Endurance 1 Commandeer

Living End is a combo deck that aims to cycle several creatures and then cascade into Living End, wiping all creatures from the battlefield while returning all the cyclers. The deck has Ardent Plea and Shardless Agent as guaranteed cascade cards, effectively giving the deck eight one-card combo pieces, along with numerous cyclers to consistently find them.

The deck also made good use of Grief, so it has lost its main piece of disruption in the latest banning. There is no easy replacement under the deck's restriction of having its spells cost three or more mana. Still, Living End has stuck around in competitive Modern tournaments, replacing Grief with cards like Colossal Skyturtle, Press the Enemy, and Striped Riverwinder.

13. Grinding Breach

4 Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student 4 Emry, Lurker of the Loch 4 Underworld Breach 4 Unholy Heat 4 Mishra's Bauble 4 Misty Rainforest 4 Urza's Saga 4 The One Ring 4 Scalding Tarn 4 Malevolent Rumble 3 Mox Amber 2 Shifting Woodland 2 Grinding Station 1 Boseiju, Who Endures 1 Thassa's Oracle 1 Springleaf Drum 1 Hedge Maze 1 Haywire Mite 1 Island 1 Mountain 1 Thundering Falls 1 Steam Vents 1 Breeding Pool 1 Stomping Ground 1 Six 1 Lightning Bolt 4 Consign to Memory 2 Negate 2 Veil of Summer 2 Force of Negation 2 Pyroclasm 1 Soul-Guide Lantern 1 Pithing Needle 1 Whipflare

Grinding Breach is built around Underworld Breach, not Through the Breach. It's a combo deck that can go off via repeated self-mill. This involves sacrificing Mishra's Bauble or Mox Amber to Grinding Station, then recasting the zero-mana artifact via Underworld Breach. You perform loop until you win the game with Thassa's Oracle. The deck is also a great home for The One Ring. Once you find two copies, you can play one from the graveyard with Emry, Lurker of the Loch, bin the other one to the legend rule, and stay protected turn after turn. Moreover, Grinding Station can sacrifice The One Ring if the burden of using it becomes too great.

While Grinding Breach had fallen out of favor a year ago, it was revitalized with Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student and Malevolent Rumble from Modern Horizons 3. Reemerging as a Temur deck with additional card selection, it offers combo players a different option after the ban of Nadu, Winged Wisdom. Like any combo deck, it used to be weak to Grief, so the post-ban Modern metagame is looking more hospitable than ever for Grinding Breach. Wrath of the Skies is still a beating for any Urza's Saga deck, but Jeskai Control hasn't been overly prominent so far.

14. Hollow One

4 Mishra's Bauble 4 Detective's Phoenix 4 Dragon's Rage Channeler 4 Hollow One 4 Nethergoyf 4 Orcish Bowmasters 4 Street Wraith 4 Blood Crypt 4 Bloodstained Mire 4 Wooded Foothills 4 Burning Inquiry 4 Goblin Lore 3 Lightning Bolt 2 Arid Mesa 2 Mountain 1 Raucous Theater 1 Swamp 1 Ox of Agonas 1 Fatal Push 1 Lava Dart 3 Obsidian Charmaw 3 Thoughtseize 2 Pyroclasm 2 Damping Sphere 2 Graveyard Trespasser 2 Rain of Gore 1 Surgical Extraction

Hollow One used to be a popular Modern strategy half a decade ago, but after the banning of Faithless Looting in 2019, it's fallen out of vogue. Until now! Modern Horizons 3's additions of Nethergoyf and Detective's Phoenix provide additional ways to take advantage of the random discard effects of Burning Inquiry and Goblin Lore, allowing the deck to return with a vengeance. With the right draw and some lucky discards, you could easily be attacking with a 6/6 flier as early as turn two.

As the reemergence of Hollow One shows, there are awesome opportunities for unexpected archetypes to punch through in post-ban Modern. In the coming weeks and months, I'm excited to see what else will be discovered now that the looming shadow of Nadu has been removed.

15. Mono-Black Necro

11 Swamp 4 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse 4 Fell the Profane 4 Boggart Trawler 4 Necrodominance 4 Orcish Bowmasters 4 Soul Spike 4 The One Ring 3 Fatal Push 4 Inquisition of Kozilek 3 March of Wretched Sorrow 2 Agadeem's Awakening 3 Revitalizing Repast 2 Thoughtseize 2 The Meathook Massacre 1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire 1 Phyrexian Tower 4 Break the Ice 2 Path of Peril 2 Damping Sphere 2 Dauthi Voidwalker 2 Thoughtseize 2 Graveyard Trespasser 1 Surgical Extraction

The fifteenth and final deck in this Modern metagame overview is Mono-Black Necro, which uses cheap interaction to trade resources in the early turns before refilling with Necrodominance. Unlike the original Necropotence, this new enchantment actually draws the cards, so you can nearly double your life total with Sheoldred, the Apocalypse while sculpting the perfect five-card hand. There's also an opportunity to cast spells in between drawing cards and discarding to hand size. You can pay an exorbitant amount of life, pitch a bunch of modal double-faced cards to March of Wretched Sorrow or Soul Spike, then pass the turn at a higher life total than you started with.

While previous iterations of this deck often used Grief alongside Malakir Rebirth, this combination was never essential to the strategy. It doesn't work with Necrodominance in play, and Malakir Rebirth costs 2 life, which in turn costs two cards in the end. Most Mono-Black Necro players replaced Grief with alternative disruption spells such as Thoughtseize or The Meathook Massacre. Malakir Rebirth was generally turned into Agadeem's Awakening or Revitalizing Repast, which is great for protecting Sheoldred, the Apocalypse. Overall, Grief decks may have lost a core piece, but they surely aren't dead.

The Road to Magic World Championship 30

While the ongoing Modern RCQs are a perfect first step in your competitive Magic journey, the World Championship has always been the yearly crown jewel of organized play. As Corbin Hosler and I count down the weeks leading up to Magic World Championship 30 at MagicCon: Las Vegas in late October, each week I'm taking a look at a great deck from a past Magic World Championship.

At the 2017 World Championship, 24 competitors came to Boston to compete across Standard and Draft. One of the biggest stories from the event was how William "Huey" Jensen steamrolled past the competition, starting off the tournament at 12-0 and locking up his berth in the Top 4 playoffs before anyone else. Once he got there, he kept the momentum, ultimately becoming the 2017 Magic World Champion.

1 Commit // Memory 1 Confiscation Coup 1 Abrade 2 Magma Spray 2 Essence Scatter 4 Attune with Aether 4 Harnessed Lightning 3 Bristling Hydra 4 Glorybringer 4 Longtusk Cub 4 Rogue Refiner 4 Servant of the Conduit 4 Whirler Virtuoso 1 Island 2 Mountain 3 Spirebluff Canal 4 Rootbound Crag 4 Forest 4 Botanical Sanctum 4 Aether Hub 1 Chandra, Torch of Defiance 1 Glimmer of Genius 4 Negate 1 Supreme Will 2 Torrential Gearhulk 1 Chandra's Defeat 1 Aethersphere Harvester 1 Confiscation Coup 1 Abrade 2 Appetite for the Unnatural

The 2017 Magic World Championship acted as the debut event for Ixalan Standard. The winning Temur deck, just like the most popular strategy in Modern today, was putting the energy mechanic to great use. Attune with Aether and Rogue Refiner would provide free energy counters, which could then be sunk into Servant of the Conduit to add mana, into Whirler Virtuoso to create tokens, into Harnessed Lightning to remove large creatures, or into Longtusk Cub or Bristling Hydra to build big brawlers. The flexibility provided by the energy mechanic was incredible, allowing you to spend your resources in a different way every game.

Other popular Standard archetypes at the time were Four-Color Energy, which was essentially Temur Energy with several copies of The Scarab God, and Ramunap Red. Ramunap Red was an aggro deck that aimed to get on board with difficult-to-block creatures, swing with Hazoret the Fervent, and finish off the opponent with Ramunap Ruins. However, by defeating Javier Dominguez in the finals, William Jensen proved that Temur Energy held the advantage against Ramunap Red.

Attune with Aether Rogue Refiner

Several months later in 2018, as the metagame was unable to adjust to Temur Energy's dominance, Attune with Aether and Rogue Refiner would be banned in Standard. These two cards enhanced the power level and immediate impact of energy-spending cards, producing incidental "free" energy alongside an effect that was almost strong enough to play on its own. Banning them reduced the overall win percentage of energy decks, opening space in the metagame and allowing for easier counterplay.

As almost no decks were able to reach a favorable matchup against Temur Energy, Jensen had the right Standard deck for the 2017 Magic World Championship. Moreover, his teched-out version with Essence Scatter, Commit // Memory, and Confiscation Coup provided a high density of answers to The Scarab God that were also applicable against Glorybringer in the Temur Energy mirror and against Hazoret the Fervent from Ramunap Red. The instants also worked perfectly with Torrential Gearhulk after sideboard, so the list was very well thought-out for the tournament.

Yet there were other reasons for Jensen's success in 2017. For one, the tournament was in a special location for him. As Jensen grew up in Boston, he had the hometown advantage, and many of his family members came to the tournament venue to cheer him on.

But arguably the biggest driver of Jensen's success was his dedication and preparation. He started testing five weeks before the start of the tournament, and he played about ten hours a day for almost literally every single day. His teammates said that they had never seen anyone test as hard for the tournament as Jensen. It paid off, and an entire room filled with his peers and family members erupted in joy as the longtime Magic player hoisted his World Championship trophy.

Jensen has been the director of Play Programs at Wizards of the Coast since 2022, overseeing the return of the Pro Tour, the introduction of Regional Championships, and most recently the launch of the Magic Spotlight Series. Partly thanks to Jensen and his team, there are numerous opportunities today for Magic players to compete at high levels, and many of these paths ultimately lead to the World Championship. The upcoming 30th edition is bound to be a memorable one, so don't miss the live coverage of Magic World Championship 30 on October 25–27, 2024!