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. Regional Championship Qualifier (RCQ) events, running through July 20, currently offer Modern players an opportunity to punch their ticket to the Modern Regional Championships in October and November, which will ultimately feed into the first Pro Tour of 2026. Hence, Modern has become one of the most important formats for competitive play right now.

In today's article, I'll start with a snapshot of the current Modern metagame, followed by a showcase of fourteen of the spiciest and most unexpected decks to make waves over the past month. These decks feature clever card combinations, represent brand-new archetypes, and pull off strategies that no one saw coming. If you're in the mood to experiment with something bold, offbeat, or just plain fun, you might find your next favorite deck right here.

The Modern Metagame with Tarkir: Dragonstorm

Modern is a nonrotating 60-card format based on expansion sets, core sets, and straight-to-Modern sets from Eighth Edition forward, save for cards on the banned list. If you're new to the format or returning after a hiatus, I recommend checking out my latest format primer, which offers an introduction to Modern's top-tier decks right before the release of Tarkir: Dragonstorm.

To capture a current picture of the metagame, I analyzed over 1,250 successful decklists from competitive events over the past three weeks. Specifically, these ones:

• Magic Online events — Decklists from 29 scheduled events held from April 23 through March 11, as well as the Magic Online Champions Showcase.
• Premier tabletop events — Published decklists with at least as many wins as losses from (i) the F2F Tour Super Qualifiers in Niagara Falls and Quebec City, (ii) SCG CON Minneapolis events, including Friday's Oversized Modern, Saturday morning's ReCQ, Saturday afternoon's ReCQ, Saturday's Oversized Modern, Sunday's ReCQ, and the $5,000 RCQ, (iii) the CCG SuperQualifier Open and the MTG SEA Championships Malaysia Open, and (iv) the Champions Cup Special Qualifiers held at Hareruya Osu, Hareruya Kichijoji, and Hareruya Kawasaki.

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. 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 with less than two percent metagame share—a broader definition than usual, since these fringe decks are today's focus. This includes Azorius Affinity, Mono-Black Eldrazi, Dimir Oculus, Eldrazi Aggro, Neobrand, Samwise Gamgee Combo, Golgari Yawgmoth, Belcher Storm, Esper Goryo's, Eldrazi Breach, Ascendancy Combo, Eldrazi Tron, Dimir Mill, Hollow One, Jeskai Prowess, Mardu Energy, Azorius Chant, Four-Color Control, Jeskai Wizards, Song of Creation, Bogles, Jeskai Legends, Domain Valakut, Hammer Time, Azorius Miracles, Eldrazi Metalcraft, Five-Color Creativity, Dimir Reanimator, Temur Ferocious, Dimir Soultrader, Asmo Monument, Esper Murktide, and many more.

Compared to the metagame snapshot in my previous Modern article (which highlighted breakout stars from Tarkir: Dragonstorm such as Cori-Steel Cutter; Ugin, Eye of the Storms; and Voice of Victory), the overall metagame has not shifted dramatically. The biggest changes are that Dimir Murktide is fading while Izzet Prowess featuring Cori-Steel Cutter continues to gain traction with an updated shell.

2 Arid Mesa 2 Bloodstained Mire 4 Cori-Steel Cutter 4 Dragon's Rage Channeler 4 Expressive Iteration 2 Fiery Islet 4 Lava Dart 4 Lightning Bolt 4 Mishra's Bauble 4 Monastery Swiftspear 3 Mountain 4 Mutagenic Growth 4 Preordain 2 Scalding Tarn 4 Slickshot Show-Off 3 Steam Vents 1 Thundering Falls 3 Violent Urge 2 Wooded Foothills 1 Alpine Moon 4 Consign to Memory 2 Into the Flood Maw 2 Spell Pierce 2 Surgical Extraction 4 Unholy Heat

This list, piloted to victory by NHA37 in the 198-player Modern Madness Finals on Magic Online, has now become the stock configuration of Izzet Prowess. Compared to the early builds that emerged right after the release of Tarkir: Dragonstorm, it cut grindy cards like Stormchaser's Talent, Manamorphose, Unholy Heat, and Bedlam Reveler in favor of more explosive firepower. With the additions of Slickshot Show-Off, Mutagenic Growth, and Violent Urge, the deck can now deliver sudden double-strike kills out of nowhere—something any RCQ competitor needs to be prepared for.

That said, Boros Energy still holds the pole position in the Modern metagame, commanding a 23.6% share of the winner's metagame over the past three weeks. The deck is powerful, easy to learn, and boasts a well-rounded matchup spread, so it's no surprise that many players are gravitating toward Boros Energy lists. Still, it's far from invincible. Boros Energy tends to struggle against fast combo decks like Tameshi Belcher, Amulet Titan, and Golgari Yawgmoth.

Meanwhile, Modern still offers plenty of room for creativity. The "Other" category—which, for this article, includes all archetypes below the two-percent threshold—is bursting with spice. Indeed, with more than two decades of card history to draw from, there's a vast array of viable strategies in Modern. In the remainder of this article, I'll spotlight fourteen of the most inventive decks that posted strong results at recent competitive tournaments. Sorted alphabetically, this collection demonstrates that innovation is still alive and thriving in Modern.

Asmo Monument

4 Asmoranomardicadaistinaculdacar 2 Blood Fountain 2 Collective Brutality 4 Darkslick Shores 1 Island 1 Master of Death 4 Metallic Rebuke 4 Monument to Endurance 4 Mox Opal 1 Nihil Spellbomb 4 Ovalchase Daredevil 4 Polluted Delta 4 Psychic Frog 1 River of Tears 2 Step Through 4 Street Wraith 1 Swamp 4 The Underworld Cookbook 1 Troll of Khazad-dûm 1 Undercity Sewers 4 Urza's Saga 1 Verdant Catacombs 2 Watery Grave 4 Consign to Memory 3 Damping Sphere 2 Orcish Bowmasters 1 Pithing Needle 2 Soulless Jailer 1 Spreading Seas 2 Toxic Deluge

At the Modern Madness Finals—a 198-player tournament on Magic Online—Trollolas piloted a delightfully offbeat build featuring four copies of Monument to Endurance as its centerpiece to a 17th-place finish. The key enabler for the deck is The Underworld Cookbook, which can be tutored up by Urza's Saga or Asmoranomardicadaistinaculdacar.

The deck capitalizes on the recursive synergy between The Underworld Cookbook and Ovalchase Daredevil, allowing you to discard and recur the Daredevil repeatedly to generate Food tokens. In the process, you're triggering Monument to Endurance for a flurry of card draw, Treasure creation, and incremental life loss. With the help of additional discard outlets like Psychic Frog, the engine becomes even more consistent, resulting in a slick Dimir deck that proves Modern still has room for rogue innovators.

Bant Chant

4 Auroral Procession 1 Blue Sun's Zenith 1 Boseiju, Who Endures 2 Breeding Pool 4 Counterspell 2 Cryptic Command 2 Flooded Strand 3 Growth Spiral 2 Hallowed Fountain 2 Hedge Maze 3 Island 3 Isochron Scepter 4 Memory Deluge 2 Meticulous Archive 1 Mistrise Village 4 Misty Rainforest 1 Nexus of Fate 4 Orim's Chant 3 Planar Genesis 4 Scalding Tarn 1 Solitude 3 Waterlogged Teachings 4 Wilderness Reclamation 4 Consign to Memory 1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn 3 Force of Vigor 1 Kaheera, the Orphanguard 2 Supreme Verdict 4 Veil of Summer

Over the past few months, I've seen a range of Modern decks, from Azorius Chant to Four-Color Gifts, that aim to lock opponents out of the game with Isochron Scepter and Orim's Chant. But this new Bant deck, which Henry_Morehouse piloted to a Top 8 finish in a Magic Online Challenge, adds an inventive twist. Auroral Procession, a recent addition from Tarkir: Dragonstorm, can return Orim's Chant to your hand or be imprinted onto Isochron Scepter, potentially letting you loop Cryptic Command and keep your opponent's creatures permanently tapped down.

The inclusion of green also enables Wilderness Reclamation, supercharging your mana in this nearly all-instant-speed build. Once the Scepter-Chant lock is in place, you can win the game by combining multiple Wilderness Reclamations into a massive Blue Sun's Zenith targeting your opponent, or you can whittle down their life total with Kaheera, the Orphanguard or Solitude. If your goal is to prevent your opponent from playing a normal game of Magic, this might be your perfect weapon.

Belcher Storm

4 Bitter Reunion 2 Blood Moon 4 Desperate Ritual 2 Glimpse the Impossible 4 Goblin Charbelcher 4 Irencrag Feat 4 Manamorphose 4 Pinnacle Monk 4 Pyretic Ritual 4 Ruby Medallion 4 Shatterskull Smashing 4 Spikefield Hazard 4 Stormscale Scion 4 Strike It Rich 4 Sundering Eruption 4 Valakut Awakening 1 Blood Moon 4 Cleansing Wildfire 4 Defense Grid 1 Guttural Response 1 Mountain 3 Pyroclasm 1 Vexing Bauble

Irencrag Feat has long been a staple in base-red Goblin Charbelcher combo decks, but it's proving just as explosive when paired with Tarkir: Dragonstorm's new Stormscale Scion. By using Desperate Ritual or Pyretic Ritual to ramp into Irencrag Feat as early as turn three, you can either play and activate Goblin Charbelcher for an instant win—thanks to a cleverly constructed mana base full of MDFCs—or summon a trio of 6/6 Dragons, which Bitter Reunion can immediately grant haste for a sudden lethal strike.

With this blisteringly fast list, SoggyCheerios raced to a 2nd-place finish at a 32-player Modern Challenge. Stormscale Scion's impact doesn't stop there: a Bring to Light version also posted a deep run in a recent Modern Challenge, further cementing the card's potential. Unsurprisingly, storm continues to be one of the most explosive and powerful mechanics in Magic.

Dice Factory

3 Astral Cornucopia 4 Coretapper 4 Devourer of Destiny 4 Eldrazi Temple 4 Everflowing Chalice 1 Expedition Map 2 Forest 4 Glaring Fleshraker 1 Inventors' Fair 4 Karn, the Great Creator 4 Kozilek's Command 4 Mox Opal 3 Mystic Forge 2 Power Conduit 4 Surge Node 4 Ugin, Eye of the Storms 4 Ugin's Labyrinth 4 Urza's Saga 1 Aetherflux Reservoir 1 Chalice of the Void 1 Cityscape Leveler 1 Cursed Totem 1 Ensnaring Bridge 1 Liquimetal Coating 1 Mystic Forge 1 Paradox Engine 1 Pithing Needle 1 Power Conduit 1 Soulless Jailer 1 Sundering Titan 1 The Stone Brain 1 Tormod's Crypt 1 Walking Ballista

Coretapper and Surge Node have long lingered on the fringes of Modern, but Zoza recently showed off their power by winning a Magic Online Challenge with a deck referred to as Dice Factory. The key pattern in the deck is using your charge counter generators to supercharge Astral Cornucopia or Everflowing Chalice, transforming them into massive mana batteries. You load them up with counters, which are often represented by dice in tabletop games, hence the name. With the arrival of Ugin, Eye of the Storms from Tarkir: Dragonstorm, the deck finally has a truly awe-inspiring payoff.

Consider this opening. On turn one, play Ugin's Labyrinth, imprinting Devourer of Destiny, then drop Coretapper. On turn two, cast Everflowing Chalice for zero, play Mox Opal and Forest, tap them for two mana, and finally tap and sacrifice Coretapper to stack three charge counters on the Chalice. Tap the enhanced Chalice and the Labyrinth for mana, which adds up to enough to—that's right—cast Ugin on turn two. It's a wild sequence that showcases just how explosive this deck can be.

Domain Valakut

1 Arena of Glory 4 Arid Mesa 1 Blood Crypt 1 Boseiju, Who Endures 3 Dryad of the Ilysian Grove 1 Elegant Parlor 1 Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines 1 Flooded Strand 1 Forest 2 Galvanic Discharge 4 Leyline Binding 4 Leyline of the Guildpact 1 Lush Portico 2 Malevolent Rumble 3 Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury 1 Plains 2 Prismatic Ending 1 Sacred Foundry 4 Scion of Draco 1 Spara's Headquarters 1 Steam Vents 1 Temple Garden 4 Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle 3 Winternight Stories 4 Wooded Foothills 3 Wrath of the Skies 4 Wrenn and Six 1 Xander's Lounge 1 Clarion Conqueror 4 Consign to Memory 2 Nihil Spellbomb 3 Shatter Assumptions 2 Soulless Jailer 1 Teferi, Time Raveler 1 Temporary Lockdown 1 Wear // Tear

This sweet deck, piloted by Ginp to a 2nd-place finish at a Modern Challenge 64 Special, extracts maximum value from Leyline of the Guildpact in multiple directions. It enables a turn-two Scion of Draco, a one-mana Leyline Binding, and a fiery Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle once your sixth land hits the battlefield.

A standout addition from Tarkir: Dragonstorm is Winternight Stories, which can dig for missing combo pieces, discard redundant Leylines, and be cast from the graveyard for just one mana by tapping Scion of Draco. While Domain Zoo remains the most prominent home for Leyline of the Guildpact, this deck offers a fun alternative for players who prefer to end games with a flurry of Valakut triggers.

Eldrazi Breach

4 Devourer of Destiny 1 Dress Down 4 Eldrazi Temple 4 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn 2 Force of Negation 2 Island 4 Kozilek's Command 2 Kozilek's Return 1 Lórien Revealed 1 Mountain 3 Nulldrifter 1 Otawara, Soaring City 2 Portent of Calamity 2 Preordain 4 Scalding Tarn 2 Shivan Reef 1 Sink into Stupor 3 Spell Snare 1 Steam Vents 4 Stock Up 4 Talisman of Creativity 4 Through the Breach 4 Ugin's Labyrinth 4 Consign to Memory 2 Dismember 1 Gemstone Caverns 1 Kozilek, Butcher of Truth 1 Kozilek's Return 3 Lightning Bolt 1 Meltdown 1 Mystical Dispute 1 Soulless Jailer

ScreenwriterNY has captured back-to-back Modern Challenge wins with a novel twist on Eldrazi Breach. Departing from the typical Yggdrasil, Rebirth Engine plus Ulamog, the Defiler combo and forgoing Sowing Mycospawn entirely, this streamlined red-blue version leans hard into card selection and consistency. Ugin's Labyrinth can ramp into a turn-two Stock Up, paving the way for more of blue's card-draw spells on turn three. With this much velocity, finding a turn-four Through the Breach to deploy Emrakul, the Aeons Torn becomes surprisingly reliable.

Defensively, the deck uses Spell Snare, Kozilek's Return, and Force of Negation to slow down the opposition just long enough to reach its key turns. And even if the Breach combo doesn't come together, a mid-game Devourer of Destiny—perhaps cast via a six-mana Portent of Calamity—can still end the game in short order. With its blend of interaction, explosiveness, and resilience, this take on Eldrazi Breach feels like the real deal.

Grixis Lutri

1 Magus of the Moon 1 Kaito, Bane of Nightmares 1 Thoughtseize 1 Qarsi Revenant 1 Intimidation Tactics 1 Unearth 1 Graveyard Trespasser 1 Bonecrusher Giant 1 Mountain 1 Shadow of Doubt 1 Graven Cairns 1 Shoot the Sheriff 1 Nethergoyf 1 Emperor of Bones 1 Fear of Missing Out 1 Stock Up 1 Rise 1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire 1 Bloodchief's Thirst 1 Liliana of the Veil 2 Swamp 1 Kroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger 1 Expressive Iteration 1 Dragon's Rage Channeler 1 Seasoned Pyromancer 1 Invasion of Azgol 1 Dauthi Voidwalker 1 Fatal Push 1 Nihil Spellbomb 1 Kolaghan's Command 1 Inquisition of Kozilek 1 Lightning Bolt 1 Orcish Bowmasters 1 Terminate 1 Undercity Sewers 1 Psychic Frog 1 Mishra's Bauble 4 Polluted Delta 1 Cling to Dust 1 Blazemire Verge 1 Raucous Theater 1 Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer 1 Unholy Heat 1 Boggart Trawler 2 Steam Vents 3 Blood Crypt 1 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker 1 Overlord of the Balemurk 4 Bloodstained Mire 1 Tourach, Dread Cantor 1 Extirpate 1 Blood Moon 1 Consign to Memory 1 Hidetsugu Consumes All 1 Untimely Malfunction 1 Cleansing Wildfire 1 Brotherhood's End 1 Surgical Extraction 1 Ashiok, Dream Render 1 Damping Sphere 1 Dragon's Claw 1 Engineered Explosives 1 Lutri, the Spellchaser 1 Sheoldred's Edict 1 Break the Ice

William Johnson posted a 4-3 finish at the $5,000 RCQ at SCG CON Minneapolis with a delightfully unpredictable singleton deck, guaranteeing a fresh configuration of spells every game. Personally, I've always had a soft spot for singleton decks. They offer unique challenges in deck construction and make consecutive games more fun to play. Back in 2009 and 2012, I took singleton decks to the Pro Tour, where I proved they could compete in 60-card formats with sufficiently deep card pools, and I had an absolute blast doing so.

In today's Modern metagame, Lutri, the Spellchaser offers a compelling incentive to embrace the challenge of singleton deck building. As a companion, Lutri lets you double up on key spells like Terminate and Expressive Iteration, generating meaningful value in the mid-game. The one-of nature of the deck also keeps opponents guessing; they're never quite sure what to expect next. While cards like Intimidation Tactics and Bloodchief's Thirst may not be as powerful as Fatal Push or Thoughtseize in a vacuum, every inclusion in Johnson's list still pulls its weight. The mana curve is smooth, the mix of threats and answers is balanced, and the result is a competitive deck that's as fun to pilot as it is hard to pin down.

Izzet Phoenix

4 Arclight Phoenix 4 Consider 4 Demilich 4 Faithless Looting 1 Flame of Anor 2 Gut Shot 2 Island 4 Lightning Bolt 4 Manamorphose 1 Mountain 4 Preordain 4 Scalding Tarn 3 Sink into Stupor 4 Spirebluff Canal 3 Steam Vents 2 Surgical Extraction 4 Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student 4 Thought Scour 1 Thundering Falls 1 Winternight Stories 4 Consign to Memory 2 Flame of Anor 3 Force of Negation 2 Harbinger of the Seas 3 Rough // Tumble 1 Surgical Extraction

After a 4-3-1 performance at Magic Spotlight: Modern, Jarid Kazemier piloted Izzet Phoenix to an 8-5 finish at the $20,000 RCQ at MXP Santa Clara. Building on that success, Kazemier made further tweaks to the deck, adding a second copy of Winternight Stories, and an updated list made a run at a Modern Challenge. Meanwhile, Allaire74 and Medvedev explored alternate versions of Izzet Phoenix featuring Cori-Steel Cutter.

Much like in Pioneer, the heart of this deck lies in discarding and recurring Arclight Phoenix from the graveyard. However, Modern offers even more explosive possibilities. On turn one, you can discard a Phoenix with Faithless Looting, setting up for an early return as soon as turn two thanks to cards like Manamorphose, Gut Shot, and Surgical Extraction. In Kazemier's build, Demilich adds another layer of power, allowing you to flashback impactful spells such as Rough // Tumble from the sideboard, clearing away entire Boros Energy boards. All in all, Arclight Phoenix can also do some work in Modern.

Jeskai Legends

4 Cori-Steel Cutter 4 Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student 4 Emry, Lurker of the Loch 2 Jeskai Ascendancy 4 Portable Hole 1 Aether Spellbomb 4 Mox Opal 4 Mox Amber 4 Mishra's Bauble 4 Repeal 1 Shadowspear 1 Tormod's Crypt 4 Urza's Saga 1 Hallowed Fountain 1 Steam Vents 1 Sacred Foundry 4 Scalding Tarn 4 Flooded Strand 1 Meticulous Archive 1 Thundering Falls 1 Spirebluff Canal 1 Plains 1 Island 3 Narset, Jeskai Waymaster 2 Orim's Chant 4 Consign to Memory 2 Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury 2 Wear // Tear 1 Whipflare 2 Chandra's Defeat 1 Flame of Anor 1 Pithing Needle

After the banning of Underworld Breach, the powerful core of Mox Opal; Mox Amber; Emry, Lurker of the Loch; Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student; Mishra's Bauble; and Urza's Saga remained intact. This resilient shell has inspired a flurry of innovation in the Modern format, spawning everything from Ascendancy Combo and Izzet Metalcraft to Jeskai Legends. One common thread across these decks is the widespread adoption of Cori-Steel Cutter, which meshes brilliantly with zero-mana artifacts.

This past weekend, Yuuki Ichikawa took down the Modern portion of the Magic Online Champions Showcase with a mix between Jeskai Legends and Ascendancy Combo, earning himself a coveted invitation to Magic World Championship 31. His triumphant list not only capitalizes on Narset, Jeskai Waymaster's card-drawing potential alongside Mox Amber but also features several copies of Jeskai Ascendancy. The enchantment unlocks infinite loops using Emry, Lurker of the Loch and a suitable zero-mana artifact. It all demonstrates that even in a post-Breach world, the core of the deck still runs at full throttle.

Mono-Black Eldrazi

4 Eldrazi Temple 4 Emperor of Bones 4 Fatal Push 1 Graveyard Trespasser 4 Ifnir Deadlands 2 Inquisition of Kozilek 4 Kozilek's Command 4 Mishra's Bauble 4 Nethergoyf 1 Nihil Spellbomb 2 Orcish Bowmasters 1 Pithing Needle 4 Prismatic Vista 1 Shadowspear 5 Swamp 4 Thought-Knot Seer 4 Thoughtseize 2 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth 4 Urza's Saga 1 Wastes 1 Ashiok, Dream Render 2 Break the Ice 3 Damping Sphere 1 Dismember 1 Dreams of Steel and Oil 2 Pithing Needle 1 Shoot the Sheriff 1 Surgical Extraction 2 Toxic Deluge 1 Wasteland Strangler

While most Eldrazi decks lean on Sowing Mycospawn and Utopia Sprawl to accelerate into massive threats, there are more unconventional ways to harness the raw power of Eldrazi Temple. The first time I can recall seeing a mono-black Eldrazi build was at the MIT Championship in February 2025. Since then, the archetype has steadily gained traction, with Selfeisek consistently posting strong finishes on Magic Online, including a recent win with the list featured above. Over the past three weeks, the archetype climbed to an impressive 1.5% of the Modern winner's metagame.

At its core, this is a mono-black midrange deck, complete with classic disruption spells and an Urza's Saga package. But it's the inclusion of Thought-Knot Seer and Kozilek's Command, both powered out ahead of curve by Eldrazi Temple, that gives the deck a distinctive edge. You don't need to ramp all the way to seven mana to make Eldrazi shine. Just a timely Thought-Knot Seer on turn three can dismantle your opponent's last hopes, especially after a well-placed Thoughtseize has already stripped away their other options. The result is a deck that hits hard, disrupts early, and closes quickly.

Rakdos Burn

4 Arena of Glory 3 Arid Mesa 3 Blood Crypt 3 Bloodstained Mire 4 Boltwave 4 Chandra's Incinerator 4 Iridescent Vinelasher 4 Lava Spike 4 Lightning Bolt 2 Mountain 1 Raucous Theater 4 Rift Bolt 2 Scalding Tarn 4 Seal of Fire 4 Searing Blaze 4 Skewer the Critics 4 Skullcrack 2 Wooded Foothills 2 Fatal Push 1 Magus of the Moon 2 Obsidian Charmaw 1 Rakdos Charm 2 Roiling Vortex 1 Searing Blood 2 Surgical Extraction 2 Tunnel Ignus 2 Untimely Malfunction

Chandra's Incinerator has long smoldered on the fringes of Modern, but Namahs84 reignited its prospects with a 13th-place finish at a Modern Challenge 64 Special. Like most Burn decks, this list follows the classic philosophy of fire, with the goal to unleash damage quickly and relentlessly, but it features a unique angle.

With Seal of Fire, Rift Bolt, or Iridescent Vinelasher on turn one followed by a fetch land and a second burn spell on turn two—be it Lava Spike, Boltwave, Skewer the Critics, or Lightning Bolt—you'll have dealt at least five points of noncombat damage by turn two. That's enough to slam Chandra's Incinerator for a single red mana. A 6/6 trampler with a powerful ability is no joke. Plus, with the perfect draw, Arena of Glory can even give it haste. This new spin on Burn looks both explosive and fun.

Song of Creation

1 Breeding Pool 1 Commercial District 4 Emry, Lurker of the Loch 2 Engineered Explosives 1 Grapeshot 1 Island 1 Jace, Wielder of Mysteries 2 Lava Dart 4 Malevolent Rumble 4 Mishra's Bauble 4 Misty Rainforest 4 Mox Amber 4 Mox Opal 2 Noxious Revival 1 Otawara, Soaring City 4 Repeal 4 Scalding Tarn 2 Shifting Woodland 4 Song of Creation 2 Steam Vents 1 Stomping Ground 4 Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student 1 Thundering Falls 2 Urza's Saga 1 Boseiju, Who Endures 3 Consign to Memory 4 Ledger Shredder 1 Nature's Claim 2 Pyroclasm 1 Tormod's Crypt 3 Unholy Heat

When I showcased Yuuki Ichikawa's Jeskai Legends deck, I highlighted the powerful core shell of Mox Opal; Mox Amber; Emry, Lurker of the Loch; Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student; Mishra's Bauble; and Urza's Saga. But that shell is flexible, and the spiciest usage of the shell might be this Song of Creation combo deck. Manas235 piloted the list shown above to a 2nd-place finish at a recent Modern Challenge.

While Song of Creation had previously appeared as a support piece in Grinding Breach decks earlier this year, this new build takes a different route. Once Song of Creation is on the battlefield, you can sift through your entire deck by casting your zero-mana artifacts and all four copies of Emry, Lurker of the Loch, drawing and milling cards with every spell along the way. With four mana still available at the end of the sequence, you can win immediately via Jace, Wielder of Mysteries or Grapeshot plus Noxious Revival. In this shell, Song of Creation acts almost like a one-card win condition, and that's an incredibly powerful place to be.

Sultai Oculus

4 Abhorrent Oculus 1 Bitter Triumph 1 Breeding Pool 2 Consider 3 Crashing Footfalls 2 Darkslick Shores 4 Fatal Push 2 Force of Negation 3 Halo Forager 2 Island 3 Misty Rainforest 4 Picklock Prankster 4 Polluted Delta 4 Psychic Frog 1 Sink into Stupor 2 Spell Snare 1 Swamp 4 Thought Scour 3 Thoughtseize 2 Undercity Sewers 4 Unearth 2 Verdant Catacombs 2 Watery Grave 4 Consign to Memory 2 Glistening Deluge 2 Graveyard Trespasser 1 Grist, the Hunger Tide 2 Harbinger of the Seas 2 Stern Scolding 1 Thoughtseize 1 Toxic Deluge

Jennifer Carson took an innovative Sultai Oculus list to a strong 9-4 finish at the $20,000 RCQ at MXP Santa Clara, and shortly after, Endic_75 confirmed the deck's potential with an 11th-place result in a Modern Challenge 64. At its core, the deck resembles a traditional Dimir Oculus build, but the green splash adds a spicy twist: Crashing Footfalls.

You can discard Crashing Footfalls to Psychic Frog or mill it with Picklock Prankster and flash it back with Halo Forager. Once Crashing Footfalls is in your graveyard, Halo Forager becomes a build-your-own Shardless Agent—except you're not bound by any mana-value restrictions in your deck construction. If you don't draw the Forager in your opening hand, you can always suspend Crashing Footfalls on turn one, giving you a delayed but potent threat that sits on the backburner while you dismantle your opponent's game plan with discard, removal, and counterspells. This list is sweet!

Temur Ferocious

3 Wrenn and Six 4 Utopia Sprawl 3 Forest 4 Temur Battlecrier 1 Dryad Arbor 1 Hedge Maze 4 Misty Rainforest 2 Stomping Ground 1 Scalding Tarn 1 Sylvan Safekeeper 1 Breeding Pool 4 Outcaster Trailblazer 4 Green Sun's Zenith 3 Phyrexian Metamorph 1 Island 4 Karn, the Great Creator 4 Wooded Foothills 1 Eshki Dragonclaw 1 Cactusfolk Sureshot 1 Titania, Protector of Argoth 4 Malevolent Rumble 1 Stock Up 1 Commercial District 1 Steam Vents 1 Boseiju, Who Endures 4 Fanatic of Rhonas 1 Soulless Jailer 1 Liquimetal Coating 1 Pithing Needle 1 Torpor Orb 1 Winter Moon 1 Ancestral Statue 1 Phyrexian Metamorph 4 Consign to Memory 1 Aetherflux Reservoir 1 Haywire Mite 1 Umbral Mantle 1 Walking Ballista

Kristienne Harris took 1st place at a 45-player Oversized event at SCG CON Minneapolis with a deck no one saw coming. Fanatic of Rhonas, Outcaster Trailblazer, and Temur Battlecrier can each generate massive amounts of mana and card advantage, so long as you have enough 4-power creatures to support them. Fortunately, this deck is packed with them.

The finishing blow is awesome. Once you control two copies of Temur Battlecrier, each spell costs four generic mana less to cast. That means Karn, the Great Creator can be cast for free. From there, Karn fetches Ancestral Statue from the sideboard, which can bounce itself infinitely before eventually bouncing Karn. Karn then returns to the battlefield and can find Aetherflux Reservoir, ending the game in spectacular fashion after you play any other spell. It's one of the most creative applications of Tarkir: Dragonstorm's Temur Battlecrier to date.

What's Next for Modern?

With the Modern RCQ season already underway, the format is bursting with creativity, as the spicy decklists highlighted above make clear. Ultimately, Modern's incredible depth means that nearly anything is possible in the hands of a skilled pilot. Success often hinges on mastery: knowing your deck inside and out, anticipating common matchups, and navigating post-board games with precision. Pick a deck you love, learn its intricacies, and fine-tune it for the expected field. Preparation makes all the difference.

To find a Regional Championship Qualifier near you, check out the store locator or your regional organizer's website. While multiple paths lead to Pro Tour qualification, the infographic below provides a visual overview of the journey from RCQs through Regional Championships to Pro Tour glory.

Looking ahead, another marquee Modern event is Magic Spotlight: Secret Lair at SCG CON Indianapolis on May 31–June 1. This flagship two-day open tournament awards Pro Tour invitations to the Top 8, boasts a $50,000 prize pool, and offers convention-only promo cards. With plenty of chances to showcase your Modern expertise, now is the time to lock in your deck and start practicing!