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. Following the exciting Modern rounds of Pro Tour Edge of Eternities, the Modern format took center stage again at last weekend's Magic Online Champions Showcase. Moreover, the Modern cycle of Regional Championships kicked off this past weekend over in Mexico.
In today's article, I'll present an up-to-date snapshot of the Modern metagame, drawing from these and other recent events. I'll take a closer look at the top-tier decks and conclude with an overview of the remaining Regional Championship schedule.
Congratulations to the First Magic World Championship 32 Invitees!
After Pro Tour Edge of Eternities awarded the final invitations to Magic World Championship 31, taking place in December 2025, competitive Magic entered the 2025–26 season. This past weekend marked the first step toward Magic World Championship 32, scheduled for November 2026, as the first invites were awarded.
Vinicio Sánchez
At the first Regional Championship of the 2025–26 season, Vinicio Sánchez triumphed over a formidable field of 114 of the best Magic: The Gathering players from Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. With his trusty Amulet Titan deck, Sánchez claimed the trophy along with an invitation to Magic World Championship 32. Congratulations!
1 Echoing Deeps
1 Otawara, Soaring City
4 Gruul Turf
4 Arboreal Grazer
3 Forest
2 Scapeshift
1 Tolaria West
1 Urza's Cave
4 Amulet of Vigor
1 Icetill Explorer
2 Simic Growth Chamber
2 Green Sun's Zenith
1 Ghost Quarter
2 Lotus Field
1 The Mycosynth Gardens
3 Crumbling Vestige
1 Shifting Woodland
4 Malevolent Rumble
1 Aftermath Analyst
4 Primeval Titan
4 Spelunking
1 Vexing Bauble
1 Hanweir Battlements
1 Mirrorpool
2 Summoner's Pact
4 Urza's Saga
3 Boseiju, Who Endures
1 Vesuva
1 Vexing Bauble
3 Dismember
1 Collector Ouphe
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Six
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Icetill Explorer
2 Force of Vigor
1 Elvish Reclaimer
1 Soul-Guide Lantern
1 Boseiju, Who Endures
1 Vampires' Vengeance
At Pro Tour Edge of Eternities, Amulet Titan impressed with a 58% non-mirror win rate in the Modern rounds, the highest across all archetypes with at least a handful of pilots. The deck is notoriously difficult to play, with a sprawling 90-page primer written by Dom Harvey outlining its many decision trees, but it rewards mastery like few others. At the Regional Championships for Mexico/Central America/Caribbean, the finals even came down to an Amulet Titan mirror match. This reaffirms the deck's power, at least when piloted by invested players who have learned all its intricacies.
In that clash of Primeval Titans, Vinicio Sánchez ultimately defeated Pedro Molina, securing the title and his Magic World Championship 32 invitation. Additionally, the Top 4 players who were not yet qualified for Pro Tour Lorwyn Eclipsed earned an invitation to that event, which is scheduled for January 30–February 1, 2026.
Meanwhile, the winner and runner-up of the 2025 Season 2 Magic Online Champions Showcase—Guglielmo Lupi and Tom White—also earned seats at Magic World Championship 32 in 2026. Congratulations to both competitors! Lupi's Eldrazi Broodscale deck went undefeated in the Modern rounds and ultimately prevailed in the MOCS finals over Tom White's Izzet Affinity deck.
4 Vexing Bauble
1 Haywire Mite
4 Basking Broodscale
3 Blade of the Bloodchief
4 Malevolent Rumble
4 Devourer of Destiny
4 Emrakul, the Promised End
4 Kozilek's Command
1 Pithing Needle
4 Ugin's Labyrinth
1 Soul-Guide Lantern
4 Eldrazi Temple
1 Cavern of Souls
3 Boseiju, Who Endures
4 Urza's Saga
4 Grove of the Burnwillows
3 Forest
1 Nurturing Peatland
2 Thought-Knot Seer
4 Glaring Fleshraker
2 Disruptor Flute
3 Damping Sphere
3 Thief of Existence
1 Surgical Extraction
2 Dismember
1 Cavern of Souls
1 Grafdigger's Cage
2 Veil of Summer
When Guglielmo "Zompa" Lupi flew home after competing at Pro Tour Edge of Eternities, his mind was already racing ahead to the MOCS. Analyzing the Modern metagame, he noticed that almost every deck was playing an insane amount of free spells, including Solitude, Force of Negation, Mox Opal, Mishra's Bauble, Lotus Bloom, Summoner's Pact, and more.
That observation sparked an idea. Given that Vexing Bauble can stop all those free spells, where could Lupi best fit four copies of Vexing Bauble in the main deck? He concluded it would shine in a creature-combo deck, as Solitude often serves as the main piece of disruption against such strategies.
Decks based around Basking Broodscale had already performed admirably at Pro Tour Edge of Eternities, with five pilots posting a collective 59% win rate against the rest of the field. These decks are based around a signature combo: sacrificing an Eldrazi Spawn for mana then triggers Blade of the Bloodchief, which puts a +1/+1 counter on Blade of the Bloodchief, creating another Spawn in return. This loop produces an infinitely large Broodscale and infinite mana.
Lupi innovated on this shell by incorporating four main-deck copies of Vexing Bauble, a choice that proved crucial against Izzet Affinity in the finals. His list also deepened the Eldrazi theme with Devourer of Destiny and Ugin's Labyrinth, setting his build apart from the more traditional Mono-Green Broodscale lists. This inventive deck crushed the MOCS, and it's sure to remain a force in the months ahead.
The Modern Metagame in October 2025
Modern is a nonrotating 60-card format based on expansion sets, core sets, and straight-to-Modern sets from Eight Edition forward, save for cards on the banned list. With its deep card pool spanning over 20 years of card history, Modern boasts intricate card interactions and a vast array of viable strategies.
To analyze the format following Pro Tour Edge of Eternities, I analyzed over 1,200 successful tournament decks. My dataset drew from every published Magic Online list from scheduled events between September 28 and October 13, as well as all published decklists from the Regional Championship for Mexico/Central America/Caribbean, the Magic Online Champions Showcase, the Second Chance PTQ for Pro Tour competitors, and Axion Now's MEGA Modern. I also included Top 8 decklists from the Saturday and Sunday Super Qualifiers at F2FTour Vancouver, the Modern 5K AIQ at Apex Gaming, and the Destination Qualifier in Carpi.
To show which decks are dominating the top tables, I assigned points to each deck based on its rectified number of net wins, calculated as the number of match wins minus losses, with negative values adjusted to zero. I doubled the point totals for the Magic Online Champions Showcase and Regional Championship for Mexico/Central America/Caribbean to reflect their high competitive level. By combining these points across all events, each archetype's share of the total rectified net wins blends popularity and performance into a single, comprehensive metric: the winner's metagame share.
In this table, each archetype name hyperlinks to a top-performing decklist that closely reflects its aggregate build. The "Other" category collects decks with less than one percent winner's metagame share, including Samwise Gamgee Combo, Grixis Reanimator, Dimir Mill, Living End, Golgari Broodscale, Mono-Black Eldrazi, Mono-Green Broodscale, Hammer Time, Dredge, Merfolk, Izzet Metalcraft, Golgari Yawgmoth, Eldrazi Metalcraft, Esper Midrange, Mono-Green Tron, Jeskai Wizards, and more.
The current Modern metagame feels both healthy and diverse, and it has evolved compared to the metagame at Pro Tour Edge of Eternities. Notably, Izzet Affinity, Amulet Titan, and Izzet Prowess all gained substantial ground. The strongest versions of these decks posted above-average win rates at the Pro Tour, solidifying them as solid choices since then. These shifts are captured by the arrows in the table.
Meanwhile, Esper Goryo's is no longer the most popular deck, and Tameshi Belcher's prominence has waned considerably. Although Michael DeBenedetto-Plummer piloted the archetype to the Pro Tour trophy, its overall win rate was underwhelming, and continued poor performance has left it with only a small slice of the winner's metagame.
Mox Opal
Pinnacle Emissary
Urza's Saga
As a longtime Affinity afficionado, I'm delighted to see Izzet Affinity claim the top spot in the latest Modern winner's metagame. Unfortunately, this success comes at a cost. Sideboard cards like Wrath of the Skies, Stony Silence, and Meltdown are becoming increasingly common, which will eventually weaken Affinity's positioning. It's wise to add an extra artifact hate card to your sideboard right now and to check if you have answers to Kappa Cannoneer. But traditionally, Modern's anti-artifact tools are potent enough to keep Affinity from dominating indefinitely. Still, I've always admired Affinity's elegant synergy, math-based sequencing, and capacity for explosive starts. I'm happy to see it on top.
To set the stage for the remaining Modern Regional Championships, I've compiled aggregate decklists for the top-tier archetypes. These lists were assembled using an algorithm that weighs card popularity, deck performance, and internal synergies. Let's take a closer look at the thirteen most prominent contenders, each representing at least 2% of the winner's metagame over the past few weeks.
1. Izzet Affinity (10.7% of the Winner's Metagame)
4 Kappa Cannoneer
4 Mox Opal
4 Mishra's Bauble
4 Pinnacle Emissary
4 Urza's Saga
4 Sink into Stupor
4 Thoughtcast
4 Spirebluff Canal
3 Tormod's Crypt
3 Engineered Explosives
3 Memnite
3 Metallic Rebuke
2 Springleaf Drum
2 Thought Monitor
2 Scalding Tarn
2 Weapons Manufacturing
1 Lavaspur Boots
1 Island
1 Pithing Needle
1 Shadowspear
1 Steam Vents
1 Aether Spellbomb
1 Thundering Falls
1 Claws of Gix
3 Consign to Memory
2 Blood Moon
2 Galvanic Blast
2 Force of Negation
2 Emry, Lurker of the Loch
2 Vandalblast
1 Mystical Dispute
1 Grafdigger's Cage
As the name implies, Izzet Affinity thrives on artifact synergies, quickly enabling metalcraft for explosive starts. Mox Opal provides early mana acceleration, Kappa Cannoneer grows into an unstoppable juggernaut, and Thoughtcast becomes an efficient draw spell. A key addition from Edge of Eternities, which has helped propel the deck to the top spot, is Pinnacle Emissary, which lets you flood the board with tokens and can even power out a turn-one Kappa Cannoneer.
The most prominent build traces back to Moriyama Japan's Pro Tour list, which featured the clever interaction between Weapons Manufacturing and Engineered Explosives for X=0. It proved successful, with Shuhei Nakamura leading the standings after Day One. Rather than relying on Ornithopter, Springleaf Drum, and Darksteel Citadel to turbo out Thought Monitor, the list instead aims to build up Munitions tokens while using Sink into Stupor as flexible interaction. The Munitions tokens supercharge Kappa Cannoneer, grow the Constructs from Urza's Saga, and can be translated into lethal damage through Engineered Explosives, Claws of Gix, or an opponent's Wrath of the Skies.
2. Boros Energy (10.2% of the Winner's Metagame)
4 Arid Mesa
4 Guide of Souls
4 Galvanic Discharge
4 Ocelot Pride
4 Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury
4 Ajani, Nacatl Pariah
4 Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer
4 Marsh Flats
3 Arena of Glory
3 Goblin Bombardment
3 Sacred Foundry
3 Seasoned Pyromancer
3 Flooded Strand
2 Elegant Parlor
2 Thraben Charm
2 Voice of Victory
2 Plains
2 Blood Moon
1 Mountain
1 Static Prison
1 Windswept Heath
2 Celestial Purge
2 Wrath of the Skies
2 Surgical Extraction
2 Wear
2 Orim's Chant
2 Clarion Conqueror
1 Stony Silence
1 Obsidian Charmaw
1 Showdown of the Skalds
Powered by Guide of Souls and Galvanic Discharge, Boros Energy leverages the energy mechanic to dominate the battlefield. The deck applies relentless pressure through the feline firepower of Ocelot Pride and Ajani, Nacatl Pariah, while Goblin Bombardment lets you sacrifice Cat tokens to transform Ajani into a formidable planeswalker. In the late game, Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury provides staying power and, when given haste with Arena of Glory, can end games in an instant.
Heading into Pro Tour Edge of Eternities, Boros Energy was touted as the deck to beat, but it struggled with poor matchups against Esper Goryo's and Tameshi Belcher—the two most-played decks in the Pro Tour field. As a result, Boros Energy merely managed a 43.3% win rate against the rest of the field. Even so, the deck has strong individual card quality, is relatively easy to pick up and play, and remains a popular choice in Modern. Recently, with Amulet Titan on the rise, many successful Boros Energy lists have moved Blood Moon into the main deck, so remember to fetch basic lands.
3. Amulet Titan (9.6% of the Winner's Metagame)
4 Arboreal Grazer
4 Amulet of Vigor
4 Crumbling Vestige
4 Spelunking
4 Urza's Saga
4 Primeval Titan
4 Malevolent Rumble
3 Forest
3 Simic Growth Chamber
3 Boseiju, Who Endures
3 Gruul Turf
3 Scapeshift
2 Lotus Field
2 Summoner's Pact
2 Green Sun's Zenith
1 Echoing Deeps
1 Otawara, Soaring City
1 Tolaria West
1 Shifting Woodland
1 Aftermath Analyst
1 Hanweir Battlements
1 Mirrorpool
1 Vesuva
1 Urza's Cave
1 Vexing Bauble
1 The Mycosynth Gardens
3 Dismember
2 Force of Vigor
1 Icetill Explorer
1 Collector Ouphe
1 Vexing Bauble
1 Green Sun's Zenith
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Six
1 Elvish Reclaimer
1 Soul-Guide Lantern
1 Stock Up
Amulet Titan is one of Modern's most intricate ramp decks, built around the explosive synergy between Amulet of Vigor and bounce lands like Simic Growth Chamber. With an Amulet of Vigor in play, those lands effectively enter untapped and generate additional mana, enabling an early Primeval Titan. Even when Amulet of Vigor doesn't show up, Spelunking and Urza's Saga serve as redundant copies. Once Primeval Titan hits the battlefield, it can fetch Hanweir Battlements to give the Titan haste, shifting the game in your favor. Mastering the deck requires a deep knowledge of its available lines of play, making it a high-skill, high-reward archetype.
The deck also features an elaborate Scapeshift combo as an alternate win condition. With Amulet of Vigor in play and enough lands on the battlefield, Scapeshift can fetch two Lotus Fields, Simic Growth Chamber, Tolaria West, and Shifting Woodland to kick off a chain reaction. Simic Growth Chamber returns Tolaria West, which you can transmute for Summoner's Pact, which finds Aftermath Analyst. The Analyst recurs the Lotus Fields, generating even more mana. At that point, Shifting Woodland can become a copy of Aftermath Analyst, allowing you to sacrifice and reanimate it and generate infinite mana. Eventually, the deck's infinite Mirrorpool and Hanweir Battlements activations can produce a horde of hasty creatures. The combo may be complex, but it can win the game on the spot. And with most lists now preferring Malevolent Rumble over Explore, it's easier than ever to fill your graveyard with the right lands for Aftermath Analyst.
4. Esper Goryo's (8.0% of the Winner's Metagame)
4 Faithful Mending
4 Goryo's Vengeance
4 Flooded Strand
4 Ephemerate
4 Atraxa, Grand Unifier
4 Psychic Frog
4 Polluted Delta
4 Solitude
4 Quantum Riddler
3 Thoughtseize
3 Force of Negation
3 Marsh Flats
3 Prismatic Ending
1 Swamp
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Island
1 Undercity Sewers
1 Shadowy Backstreet
1 Meticulous Archive
1 Watery Grave
1 Plains
1 Godless Shrine
1 Griselbrand
1 Teferi, Time Raveler
1 Breeding Pool
4 Consign to Memory
3 Mystical Dispute
2 Wrath of the Skies
1 Pest Control
1 Teferi, Time Raveler
1 Surgical Extraction
1 Celestial Purge
1 Thoughtseize
1 Nihil Spellbomb
Esper Goryo's aims to discard Atraxa, Grand Unifier to Psychic Frog or Faithful Mending, then return her with Goryo's Vengeance for a massive swing and a fresh grip of cards. Before Atraxa is exiled by Goryo's Vengeance, Ephemerate can blink her to create a new game object, which means that you won't have to exile Atraxa at end of turn. This play is usually ends the game.
But Esper Goryo's is not just a graveyard combo deck. Between Solitude, Force of Negation, Thoughtseize, and Prismatic Ending, it can also take a control role and play a fair game where Psychic Frog and Edge of Eternities's Quantum Riddler provide steady card advantage. Ephemerate can also blink a warped Quantum Riddler, letting you keep a resilient 4/6 flier on the battlefield when it returns. All in all, by blending a game-ending combo with a fair control plan, Esper Goryo's presents multiple angles of attack, which is tough for opponents to cover. Although its popularity has dipped slightly since the Pro Tour, it remains a powerful contender.
5. Domain Zoo (7.7% of the Winner's Metagame)
4 Territorial Kavu
4 Flooded Strand
4 Arid Mesa
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer
4 Leyline of the Guildpact
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury
4 Leyline Binding
4 Scion of Draco
4 Doorkeeper Thrull
3 Stubborn Denial
2 Arena of Glory
2 Steam Vents
2 Consign to Memory
1 Temple Garden
1 Plains
1 Mountain
1 Indatha Triome
1 Thundering Falls
1 Lush Portico
1 Godless Shrine
3 Mystical Dispute
2 Wrath of the Skies
2 Consign to Memory
2 Nihil Spellbomb
2 Damping Sphere
2 Obsidian Charmaw
1 Clarion Conqueror
1 Wear
Domain Zoo is a disruptive aggro deck that leverages two- and three-color lands to unleash the full power of Territorial Kavu and Scion of Draco. These creatures hit hard and turn Stubborn Denial into a reliable counterspell. With Leyline of the Guildpact begins the game on the battlefield, the mana base becomes painless, and Scion of Draco gives your entire team vigilance, hexproof, lifelink, first strike, and trample.
Recent builds have embraced Doorkeeper Thrull. This unassuming two-drop turns your own Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury into an undercosted 6/6 that won't have to be sacrificed. While it may lose its Lightning Helix trigger upon entering, Phlage can dominate the battlefield on subsequent attacks. Doorkeeper Thrull also shuts down Solitude's removal effect, Primeval Titan's initial land search, and the card-draw triggers on Quantum Riddler and Atraxa, Grand Unifier. It even limits the effectiveness of Weapons Manufacturing, Guide of Souls, and other Modern staples. Altogether, Doorkeeper Thrull does more than you might think.
6. Izzet Prowess (7.0% of the Winner's Metagame)
4 Dragon's Rage Channeler
4 Expressive Iteration
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Preordain
4 Mutagenic Growth
4 Cori-Steel Cutter
4 Mishra's Bauble
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Slickshot Show-Off
4 Lava Dart
3 Mountain
3 Steam Vents
3 Bloodstained Mire
2 Violent Urge
2 Fiery Islet
2 Scalding Tarn
2 Arid Mesa
2 Wooded Foothills
1 Thundering Falls
4 Unholy Heat
4 Consign to Memory
2 Surgical Extraction
2 Meltdown
1 Spell Pierce
1 Murktide Regent
1 Spell Snare
At its core, Izzet Prowess is built for speed. With Dragon's Rage Channeler and Monastery Swiftspear leading the charge, the deck uses Expressive Iteration, Preordain, and other cheap cantrips to churn through spells, sculpt your hand, and buff your creatures. Dropping a Cori-Steel Cutter on turn two and following it up with a Mishra's Bauble can kickstart a flood of Monk tokens. Meanwhile, Slickshot Show-Off allows for sudden, explosive kills. When combined with Mutagenic Growth and Violent Urge, it can swing for double-digit damage out of nowhere.
This powerful and synergistic aggro deck, featuring countermagic and removal as disruption after sideboarding, proved an excellent choice at the Pro Tour. It posted a 56% win rate against the rest of the field, and the deck has continued to gain traction since then.
7. Esper Blink (6.1% of the Winner's Metagame)
4 Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd
4 Flooded Strand
4 Overlord of the Balemurk
4 Quantum Riddler
4 Marsh Flats
4 Fatal Push
4 Ephemerate
4 Thoughtseize
4 Solitude
4 Witch Enchanter
3 Emperor of Bones
2 Plains
2 Godless Shrine
2 Polluted Delta
2 Teferi, Time Raveler
2 Flickerwisp
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Shadowy Backstreet
1 Meticulous Archive
1 Watery Grave
1 Swamp
1 Undercity Sewers
1 Boggart Trawler
3 White Orchid Phantom
3 Consign to Memory
3 Wrath of the Skies
2 Clarion Conqueror
2 Damping Sphere
1 Faerie Macabre
1 Teferi, Time Raveler
Like Esper Goryo's, Esper Blink capitalizes on the potent synergy between Quantum Riddler and Ephemerate. With a flexible, interactive game plan, the deck adapts well to a wide range of matchups. But rather than relying on Goryo's Vengeance, it maximizes blink synergies with Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd. In particular, blinking Overlord of the Balemurk removes its time counters, making it an undercosted threat that provides repeatable card advantage.
The archetype splits into two main versions. Roughly three-quarters of Esper Blink decks rely on Solitude, often supported by white modal double-faced cards like Witch Enchanter. The remainder prefers Subtlety, typically paired with Hydroelectric Specimen. When facing Esper Blink, those modal double-faced cards often reveal which Elemental to expect, which is a subtle but important clue to look out for.
8. Eldrazi Tron (5.9% of the Winner's Metagame)
4 Ugin, Eye of the Storms
4 Urza's Mine
4 Eldrazi Temple
4 Karn, the Great Creator
4 Kozilek's Command
4 Urza's Tower
4 Expedition Map
4 Urza's Power Plant
4 Ugin's Labyrinth
4 Devourer of Destiny
4 Thought-Knot Seer
4 Mind Stone
3 Glaring Fleshraker
2 Dismember
1 All Is Dust
1 Swamp
1 Sire of Seven Deaths
1 Vexing Bauble
1 Disruptor Flute
1 Relic of Progenitus
1 Wastes
2 Disruptor Flute
1 Trinisphere
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Ensnaring Bridge
1 The Stone Brain
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Liquimetal Coating
1 Cityscape Leveler
1 Extinguisher Battleship
1 Walking Ballista
1 Chalice of the Void
1 Torpor Orb
1 Vexing Bauble
1 Engineered Explosives
Eldrazi Tron harnesses the iconic trio of Urza's Mine, Urza's Tower, and Urza's Power Plant to enable explosive openings. Together, they can power out seven-mana spells like Devourer of Destiny or Ugin, Eye of the Storms as early as turn three. Ugin excels in a deck that's almost all colorless spells. Karn, the Great Creator is another excellent mana sink, letting you fetch disruptive artifacts from the sideboard.
Even without the full suite of Urza's lands, the deck remains formidable. Eldrazi Temple and Ugin's Labyrinth offer enough two-mana lands to consistently enable a turn-two Thought-Knot Seer for disruption or an early Glaring Fleshraker to set up a devastating Kozilek's Command. Few decks in Modern can match the deck's ability to generate mana.
9. Azorius Control (3.9% of the Winner's Metagame)
4 Flooded Strand
4 Orim's Chant
4 Narset, Parter of Veils
4 Solitude
3 Counterspell
3 Consult the Star Charts
3 Teferi, Time Raveler
3 Prismatic Ending
2 Hallowed Fountain
2 Island
2 Spell Snare
2 Meticulous Archive
2 Day's Undoing
2 Plains
2 Supreme Verdict
2 Lórien Revealed
2 Force of Negation
2 Arid Mesa
2 Wrath of the Skies
1 Isochron Scepter
1 Geier Reach Sanitarium
1 Monumental Henge
1 Mystic Gate
1 Otawara, Soaring City
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Thundering Falls
1 Steam Vents
1 Hall of Storm Giants
1 Polluted Delta
4 Consign to Memory
3 Mystical Dispute
2 Surgical Extraction
2 Fire Magic
1 Celestial Purge
1 Kaheera, the Orphanguard
1 Disruptor Flute
1 Isochron Scepter
Azorius Control seeks to dictate the pace of the game through efficient interaction. The deck runs almost no creatures, which renders opposing creature removal largely useless while allowing for Kaheera, the Orphanguard as a companion. At the heart of the archetype are control staples like Prismatic Ending, Supreme Verdict, and Counterspell, supported by an excellent lineup of planeswalkers.
This aggregate list closely resembles the one Francisco Sánchez piloted to a 2nd-place finish at Pro Tour Edge of Eternities. To dominate the late game, the deck has access to two devastating combos. First, thanks to static ability of Narset, Parter of Veils, Day's Undoing will leave the opponent with only one card in hand, or with no cards if Day's Undoing is cast in the opponent's draw step with Teferi, Time Raveler. Second, imprinting Orim's Chant onto Isochron Scepter can lock the opponent out of the game entirely. After sideboarding, adding two copies of Fire Magic offers firepower against creature decks and Pinnacle Emissary swarms.
10. Azorius Blink (3.3% of the Winner's Metagame)
4 Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd
4 Flagstones of Trokair
4 Ephemerate
4 Hallowed Fountain
4 Guide of Souls
4 White Orchid Phantom
4 Ocelot Pride
4 Solitude
4 Quantum Riddler
4 Witch Enchanter
3 Plains
3 Starfield Shepherd
2 Flooded Strand
2 Meticulous Archive
2 Arid Mesa
2 Marsh Flats
2 Thraben Charm
1 Mockingbird
1 Consign to Memory
1 Sanctifier en-Vec
1 Prismatic Ending
3 Consign to Memory
2 Wrath of the Skies
2 Mystical Dispute
2 Stony Silence
1 Teferi, Time Raveler
1 Orim's Chant
1 Sanctifier en-Vec
1 Rest in Peace
1 Celestial Purge
1 Clarion Conqueror
Introduced by Team TCGplayer at Pro Tour Edge of Eternities, Azorius Blink shares many cards with Esper Blink but takes a more aggressive route. Instead of one-mana black disruption spells like Thoughtseize or Fatal Push, this versions applies pressure with Guide of Souls and Ocelot Pride. These two one-drops mesh beautifully: Guide of Souls's life gain fuels Ocelot Pride's token-generating ability, which in turn generates more energy for Guide of Souls. Starfield Shepherd ties it all together, helping to assemble this synergy more consistently.
Sticking to two colors also provides a smoother mana base and makes room for Flagstones of Trokair. In this shell, Flagstones of Trokair turns White Orchid Phantom into a Farseek attached to a sizable creature. Repeatedly blinking White Orchid Phantom can also shred the fragile mana base of Izzet Affinity or Eldrazi Tron decks, which usually run only one or two basic lands. It's even more punishing against Tameshi Belcher, whose main deck runs no basic lands at all.
11. Tameshi Belcher (3.0% of the Winner's Metagame)
4 Whir of Invention
4 Disrupting Shoal
4 Lotus Bloom
4 Goblin Charbelcher
4 Tameshi, Reality Architect
4 Hydroelectric Specimen
4 Sink into Stupor
4 Sea Gate Restoration
4 Jwari Disruption
4 Suppression Ray
4 Fallaji Archaeologist
4 Thundertrap Trainer
3 Waterlogged Teachings
3 Flare of Denial
2 Force of Negation
2 Stern Scolding
1 Strix Serenade
1 Into the Flood Maw
4 Consign to Memory
2 Flusterstorm
2 Into the Flood Maw
2 Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student
1 Tezzeret the Seeker
1 Island
1 Stock Up
1 Mystical Dispute
1 Stern Scolding
While Tameshi Belcher won Pro Tour Edge of Eternities, its overall win rate at the event was underwhelming, and its results since then have failed to impress. Its core plan remains unchanged: activate Goblin Charbelcher in a deck with zero actual lands to deal lethal damage instantly. To reach the necessary mana to cast and activate Belcher, the deck relies on Lotus Bloom—which can be found off of Whir of Invention—and a suite of modal double-faced cards.
The deck also features a potent backup combo. Tameshi, Reality Architect, when paired with Lotus Bloom, can generate immense amounts of mana, often culminating in an enormous Sea Gate Restoration that seals the game. Meanwhile, the deck features a surprising amount of interaction, as it exploits Disrupting Shoal, Force of Negation, and Flare of Denial as potentially free countermagic. Even though it may look like a glass cannon, Tameshi Belcher is deceptively resilient.
12. Ruby Storm (2.6% of the Winner's Metagame)
4 Pyretic Ritual
4 Reckless Impulse
4 Ruby Medallion
4 Mountain
4 Desperate Ritual
4 Wrenn's Resolve
4 Manamorphose
4 Ral, Monsoon Mage
3 Past in Flames
3 Arid Mesa
3 Glimpse the Impossible
2 Wish
2 Scalding Tarn
2 Elegant Parlor
2 Valakut Awakening
2 Wooded Foothills
2 Bloodstained Mire
2 Artist's Talent
1 Grapeshot
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Gemstone Caverns
1 Sunbaked Canyon
1 Strike It Rich
4 Orim's Chant
4 Prismatic Ending
2 Fire Magic
1 Past in Flames
1 Grapeshot
1 Empty the Warrens
1 Wear
1 Meltdown
Ruby Storm is a blisteringly fast combo deck centered around Ruby Medallion and Ral, Monsoon Mage. With either card on the battlefield, spells like Pyretic Ritual and Desperate Ritual cost just a single red mana, unlocking a massive mana boost. The cost reduction also applies to card-draw spells like Reckless Impulse and Wrenn's Resolve, allowing you to churn through your library with startling speed.
The core game plan is to cast a storm of spells in a single turn, flash them back with Past in Flames, then finish the game with a lethal Grapeshot. It's a combo deck in its purest, most tempestuous form. If opponents lack removal for Ruby Medallion or Ral, or if they are not prepared with hate pieces like Orim's Chant or Damping Sphere, then Ruby Storm threatens a blazing firestorm.
13. Eldrazi Ramp (2.3% of the Winner's Metagame)
4 Eldrazi Temple
4 Kozilek's Command
4 Malevolent Rumble
4 Sowing Mycospawn
4 Utopia Sprawl
4 Ugin's Labyrinth
4 Talisman of Impulse
4 Icetill Explorer
3 Forest
3 Emrakul, the Promised End
3 Kozilek's Return
3 Devourer of Destiny
2 Ghost Quarter
2 Stomping Ground
2 Windswept Heath
2 Sire of Seven Deaths
2 World Breaker
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Commercial District
1 Sanctum of Ugin
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Verdant Catacombs
2 Grafdigger's Cage
2 Disruptor Flute
2 Trinisphere
2 The Stone Brain
2 Vexing Bauble
1 Cavern of Souls
1 Dismember
1 Kozilek's Return
1 Fade from History
1 Unholy Heat
Like Eldrazi Tron, Eldrazi Ramp is fueled by Eldrazi Temple and Ugin's Labyrinth, but it forgoes Urza's lands in favor of a Forest-heavy mana base for Utopia Sprawl. Its goal is to cast Emrakul, the Promised End as soon as possible, with Malevolent Rumble reducing the Eldrazi's cost by dumping a variety of card types into the graveyard. Icetill Explorer from Edge of Eternities helps fuel the deck's land synergies. It lets you replay Windswept Heath from your graveyard, fill your graveyard for Emrakul, and pave the way for colossal threats far earlier than expected.
Many players have recently swapped Herigast, Erupting Nullkite for the more straightforward Sire of Seven Deaths, which triggers Kozilek's Return from the graveyard with ease. Still, Guglielmo Lupi's MOCS-winning Basking Broodscale build might signal the next evolution of Eldrazi Ramp, possibly tempting Eldrazi players to embrace the game-winning combo of Basking Broodscale and Blade of the Bloodchief.
What's Next for Modern?
Modern continues to look vibrant and diverse, with dozens of archetypes capable of claiming victory at the upcoming premier events. The Regional Championship for Mexico, Central America, and Caribbean—the first of this Modern cycle—firmly established Amulet Titan as a top-tier contender, while the Magic Online Champions Showcase showed the potential of an Eldrazi Broodscale list running four main-deck copies of Vexing Bauble. Yet Modern remains a format that rewards you for mastering your favorite deck and knowing every key interaction and matchup by heart.
With the Modern Regional Championship cycle unfolding across October and November, we can look forward to high-stakes competition among the finest players in each region. The remaining schedule, with links to available Melee pages, is as follows:
On the line at these events are substantial cash prizes, exclusive promos, and coveted invitations to Pro Tour Lorwyn Eclipsed. Winners of each Regional Championship, along with finalists from events held in the United States, Canada, Europe, Japan, and South America, will also secure their spots at next year's Magic World Championship 32.
To follow all the action from the United States Regional Championship this weekend, tune in to the Star City Games Tournament Coverage YouTube channel, streaming live on both Saturday and Sunday starting at 9 a.m. ET.
