While I won’t be using this card in today’s deck it did make me think of Maze’s End decks from Standard’s past, and my beginnings at playing with foil cards. Also with us nearing Halloween I’m sure some of you have visited your local hay/corn maze, and heck even going to the grocery store for me feels like I am running a maze.

Yes you heard that right. Maze’s End was when I started foiling out decks.

I attended a Dragon’s Maze pre-release, and although I did get a Ral Zarek out of my kit when the event was over no one wanted their promo Maze’s Ends so I picked up the cards, began to build with it, and after Theros came out it wound up looking like this.

It was at this same time I started getting into formats like Legacy (building Punishing Jund) and EDH, and while my primary focus has shifted to Modern I do have a lot of fond memories of those days where I was winning by playing a land.

Can we do this in Modern? I don’t see why not, and honestly if decks like Tezzerator are played we can do so with this. Might it be a poor choice for even FNM? Sure. Are there a lot of cards that can wreck this deck? Yeah, of course! However on those games that you do win it’s worth it. The goal of running the maze is to survive it, and sometimes you don’t.

Modern Maze’s End

Artifacts (4)
4 Expedition Map

Enchantments (3)
3 Ghostly Prison

Creatures (7)
4 Gatecreeper Vine
3 Wall of Omens

Instants (9)
4 Fog
3 Safe Passage
2 Negate

Planeswalkers (2)
2 Kiora, the Crashing Wave

Sorceries (10)
4 Sylvan Scrying
4 Ancient Stirrings
2 Supreme Verdict

Lands (25)
4 Maze’s End
4 Windswept Heath
2 Azorius Guildgate
2 Selesnya Guildgate
2 Simic Guildgate
1 Boros Guildgate
1 Breeding Pool
1 Dimir Guildgate
1 Forest
1 Golgari Guildgate
1 Gruul Guildgate
1 Izzet Guildgate
1 Orzhov Guildgate
1 Rakdos Guildgate
1 Temple Garden

Sideboard (15)
3 Ensnaring Bridge
2 Stony Silence
2 Crackling Perimeter
2 Naturalize
2 Damping Sphere
2 Swan Song
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Negate

How the deck works

Obviously the primary win condition is using Maze’s End‘s ability to search for the last guildgate to win the game. It’s a pretty powerful ability when you consider the totality of what it does, however how can we achieve such a feat.

I’ve looked over several decks. Some are Turbo Fog based (like the old Standard decks), some even focus on enchantments. However the primary way to win is by playing Lands. This is where I thought of another deck where lands are very important: Tron.

Cards such as Ancient Stirrings, Expedition Map, and Sylvan Scrying allow you to find any land as opposed to just basics in Tron. Why limit those cards to just Tron decks? Sure these lands, the guildgates, come into play tapped, but you have other ways to stay alive even when being tapped out.

• Gatecreeper Vine, and Wall of Omens are cards that either allow you to search for a land, or simply draw a card (which could be a guildgate). While one has more toughness than the other you only need to block with them, and them living is not vital to winning the game. Don’t be afraid to play these on turn three, and use the land you find to put into play.
• Supreme Verdict will often tap you out, but also wipe their board of creatures. This will leave you vulnerable to their next play, but we don’t have a reliable way to set up Terminus, and can’t afford our spell to be countered.
• Ghostly Prison might seem odd as it does also tap you out early, but it taxes your opponent forcing them to play more threats (and lands) to attack with more than one creature.
• Kiora, the Crashing Wave also taps you out, and is the primary win condition. If you can survive to get the emblem you can win even through one of your guildgates being removed from the game (or Maze’s End itself).

Keep in mind that Safe Passage prevents all damage not just combat damage. Nice Grapeshot you have there!

If you can get up to four lands where one is a Maze’s End without being interrupted you can start using your Maze’s End on their end step to ramp out guildgates.

In the sideboard

Some key cards in the sideboard:

• Crucible of Worlds: This card’s inclusion should be no surprise. With enough land destruction in Modern as it is you will need this to play lands from your graveyard.
• Ensnaring Bridge: Pairing this with your defenders will help you stabilize as you play all of the ramp cards in your hand. There are only a few ways to draw, but not enough to consistently keep cards in your hand so this will be beneficial.
• Naturalize: You will lose to Blood Moon.
• Swan Song: Speaking of the moon you can simply counter it. Coupled with your bridge and fog effects the 2/2 bird is not much of a worry.
• Crackling Perimeter: This is your alternate win condition. Use it wisely, but keep in mind it can take awhile to ping the opponent to zero.

In conclusion

This is a very rough draft, and you’ll want to make the changes necessary to your metagame. I think a lot of us have been waiting for key pieces to be presented to try it in Modern, but the pieces that Tron has used to great success are probably the ones we should have used from the very beginning. Finding specific lands is key to this deck’s strategy, and those cards are the best way to do that.

Thank you all for reading about this strange deck. I know this is on the fringe of the Modern format, but what cards would you use for the deck? How would you change the above? Do you already have a version of the deck built? Please comment below, and follow me on both Facebook as well as Twitter.

Next time with Halloween upon us I’ll shamble through another article to celebrate the rising of the dead.

Until then…

TAP MORE MANA!!!

Scott Campbell

Scott Campbell, better known as MTGPackFoils, has been playing Magic since he was 17 (which was in 1993). He’s known for loving decks such as Azorius Control, Jund, and others (especially in Modern). He is a husband, father, and a former nightclub DJ.

http://www.twitter.com/MTGPackFoils

Today I’m going to talk about one who devoted his whole life to worshiping dragons: Sarkhan Vol.

Sarkhan was a soldier in the Mardu Horde who grew tired of the bloodshed of war, became a shaman, and afterwords was touched by the spirit of an ancient dragon. He then cleared his foes from the battle (sparking in the process), left his home on Tarkir, and went searching for dragons. Eventually succumbing to the will of Nicol Bolas he wound up being forced into the Elder Dragon’s plot to release the Eldrazi, before returning to Tarkir’s past to save the Spirit Dragon, Ugin from Bolas’ claws of death.

There have been six (yes 6!) Planeswalkers featuring Sarkhan, and honestly some of these I’m not even going to use. If you wish to comment about them you can, but unlike the other two that I have looked it there are some Sarkhans that honestly I feel are too difficult to try to make playable. I’ll still comment on each of them though so they won’t be completely dismissed.

Sarkhan Vol

In my article about the Izzet League I talked about Runaway Steam-Kin. I think we can do something with that here.

Creatures (17)
4 Runaway Steam-Kin
4 Quirion Dryad
4 Winding Constrictor
3 Walking Ballista
2 Scavenging Ooze

Planeswalkers (2)
2 Sarkhan Vol

Enchantments (6)
4 Hardened Scales
2 Song of Freyalise

Spells (11)
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Atarka’s Command
2 Kolaghan’s Command
2 Dreadbore

Lands (24)
4 Blackcleave Cliffs
4 Verdant Catacombs
3 Bloodstained Mire
3 Raging Ravine
2 Overgrown Tomb
2 Forest
2 Swamp
1 Blood Crypt
1 Stomping Ground
1 Treetop Village
1 Wooded Foothills

How the deck works

Miracle Grow decks have a long history in Magic, and this may be a time to take a look at another version, albeit a more aggressive version, of the archetype. The synergy between the cards above can not be questioned, and with the addition of Hardened Scales your creatures can become more powerful than what your opposition has. There is one inherent flaw though in that your spells do have to have red in them in order for the primary creature in the deck (Runaway Steam-Kin) to be useful.

• Your ideal first turn is turn 1 Hardened Scales, and then play a Quirion Dryad or Winding Constrictor. If those survive playing a Runaway Steam-Kin into a Lightning Bolt will send you off to the races.
• Sarkhan Vol is your finisher. Although your creatures do not get counters from his first ability (but the creatures do based on the color of the spell he is) it could be the punch you need. You could also steal a blocker to finish them off.
• Song of Freyalise might seem like an odd inclusion, however being able to use your creatures for any color of mana can help you clear the path, deal some damage to your opponent, and once you get to the third chapter finish them off.

In the sideboard you will want discard spells like Duress, some form of graveyard hate (perhaps the third Scavenging Ooze), and Bow of Nylea would be a sweet one of if you are ever in a matchup where you have a board stall, and need either more counters or deathtouch.

I really wanted to fit Bloodhall Ooze in here, but found no room.

Sarkhan the Mad

Here we come to our first of the Sarkhans that honestly does not feel that great. He has no way to add counters to himself, and unless you have a creature on the board he has no true impact. If you were to build a deck with him I recommend using creatures with the Persist mechanic (like Kitchen Finks) or Undying mechanic (Geralf’s Messenger), or perhaps both. There may not be enough to facilitate a deck, and using his -2 ability first does not leave a lot of room for his 0 ability. He also requires running more than one to keep his abilities going. If you build a deck with him share it in the comments below.

Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker

This one is my favorite of the Sarkhan planeswalkers, and embodies the spirit of Magic: the Gathering. In the beginning this game depicts you as a wizard traveling fantasy realms doing battle with others with your spells while summoning creatures. Since his spark ignited (which every time I hear that being used I always think of the Michael Bay Transformer movies) he has become a powerful adversary seeking the power of dragons, sometimes even turning himself into one.

Creatures (13)
4 Bloodbraid Elf
4 Llanowar Elves
3 Tireless Tracker
2 Wood Elves

Enchantments (4)
4 Blood Moon

Planeswalkers (3)
2 Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker
1 Garruk, Primal Hunter

Spells (15)
4 Stone Rain
4 Farseek
3 Explore
2 Molten Rain
2 Lightning Bolt

Lands (25)
8 Forest
4 Field of Ruin
4 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills
2 Cinder Glade
2 Stomping Ground
1 Ghost Quarter

How the deck works

While we’re all familiar with the Gruul Ponza Scheme deck (that’s what I call it) this focuses on not only depleting your opponent’s lands but also searching for your own. Forgoing the Utopia Sprawl plan allows for other cards (such as your planeswalkers) to be played. Granted the planeswalker presence is a little light here, but I always envisioned this type of deck to go big through spells over creatures. Garruk, Primal Hunter also adds a steady stream of creatures, while your Field of Ruin plus Ghost Qaurter package complements your land destruction spells in your deck.

In the sideboard I would look at cards that oppose graveyard strategies as usual. I’m not sure how many slots you would want to devote to Scavenging Ooze or Grafdigger’s Cage though. Enchantment and Artifact hate are also slots you will want to use. This could be done with an Engineered Explosives as often times you’ll only need it for 2 against matchups such as the various Affinity decks and Bogles.

Outpost Siege might also be interesting in here.

Sarkhan Unbroken

While this Sarkhan is pretty neat my idea for this one would be similar to the one above, but with more focus on ramp spells to play a lot of dragons.

Creatures (15)
4 Arbor Elf
3 Stormbreath Dragon
3 Sylvan Caryatid
2 Courser of Kruphix
2 Birds of Paradise
1 Dragonlord Atarka

Enchantments (6)
4 Utopia Sprawl
2 Frontier Siege

Planeswalkers (5)
3 Sarkhan Unbroken
2 Chandra, Torch of Defiance

Spells (8)
4 Farseek
3 Explore
1 Cyclonic Rift

Lands (25)
4 Copperline Gorge
4 Wooded Foothills
3 Cavern of Souls
3 Misty Rainforest
2 Forest
2 Stomping Ground
2 Mountain
1 Breeding Pool
1 Haven of the Spirit Dragon
1 Island
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Steam Vents

How the deck works

All ramp all the time. This deck wants more mana than you do in order to cast its large dragons. Dragons historically have had large mana costs, and in a deck splashing a third color it’s much needed. You have multiple directions here as you can ramp into Sarkhan Unbroken, or Stormbreath Dragon. Don’t forget that Stormbreath can go monstrous allowing you to deal damage on top of attacking. I know all of these words may have fallen on deaf ears as you are focused on the single Cyclonic Rift in the deck. With so much focus on ramp the deck will lack interaction, and you have to have a card that allows you to catch up. The Overload cost could be easy to obtain here.

Other things to look for are the Cavern of Souls allowing you to cast your dragons without being countered, and for any color. The Haven of the Spirit Dragon helps vs discard effects as well.

I really wanted to fit Thunderbreak Regent in here. I’m not sure where. That may show up later.

Sarkhan, Dragonsoul

This Sarkhan is from the planeswalker decks made for new players for Magic 2019. While there might be room for a cost this large his +1 does negligible damage, his -3  and -9 are similar to abilities seen on the last two versions of Sarkhan. For me this card feels unimaginative. Perhaps you may disagree? If so share your thoughts in the comments below.

Sarkhan, Fireblood

Now we get to perhaps the most powerful of the Sarkhan planeswalkers. Those that cost three mana to cast are some of the most powerful in the game, yet not all of them see equal play. Once I saw this card I imagined an actual “Dragon Stompy” deck for Modern, and although some have tried to create a version of it I think I might be onto something here.

Creatures (14)
4 Thunderbreak Regent
4 Simian Spirit Guide
3 Stormbreath Dragon
2 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
1 Hazoret the Fervent

Artifact (4)
4 Chalice of the Void

Enchantments (4)
4 Blood Moon

Planeswalkers (5)
3 Sarkhan, Fireblood
2 Chandra, Torch of Defiance

Spells (9)
4 Fiery Temper
3 Mizzium Mortars
2 Abrade

Lands (24)
8 Mountain
4 Arid Mesa
4 Bloodstained Mire
4 Field of Ruin
2 Darksteel Citadel
2 Ghost Quarter

How the deck works

This mono red prison style deck is meant to lock the opponent out of low cost spells until you can plant a Blood Moon, and then deploy your threats to win. Having a variety of threats in dragons, or cards that can deal damage to the opponent can help win a game once the lock is in place which sometimes can be a problem with these style of decks.

Fiery Temper might seem odd, but with Sarkhan, Fireblood‘s +1 you could discard it, and then pay it’s madness cost. While minor this could come up.

So why does this deck run Darksteel Citadel? Synergy with Pia and Kiran Nalaar of course. Keep in mind the 2 damage that can be done when sacrificing artifacts including the Citadel.

The sideboard MIGHT be a problem. Enchantments are a big problem for mono red, and Ratchet Bomb is awfully slow against them. Graveyard hate, and land destruction may take up most of the slots in your board.

In conclusion

That’s a lot of variety even with 2 of them not really being playable. Each deck plays in it’s own unique way, and tries to focus on the abilities of the Sarkhan in the deck.

What are your thoughts? Have you played with any of these Sarkhans in your decks? Leave a comment, and make sure to follow me on both Facebook as well as Twitter.

NEXT WEEK…we’re going to run the Maze!

Until then…

TAP MORE MANA!!!

Scott Campbell

Scott Campbell, better known as MTGPackFoils, has been playing Magic since he was 17 (which was in 1993). He’s known for loving decks such as Azorius Control, Jund, and others (especially in Modern). He is a husband, father, and a former nightclub DJ.

http://www.twitter.com/MTGPackFoils

While one may think the Selesnya Conclave as peace loving, nature protecting, “hippies” (for lack of a better word) their history does tie back to some hypocritical and sinister dealings (Editors Note: Sort of. They were almost taken over by Savra so that Szadek could kill Mat’Selesnya, the ancient parun of the Guild by using the Selesnyans’ Quietmen to do so). Fortunately recent years have put into place leadership that protects Ravnica for the benefit of everyone, and the Conclave leads that charge.

The Selesnya Conclave

This white and green guild is filled with anything a fan of fantasy RPGs would want. Elves (the Silhana), Clerics, Archers, Druids, Shamans, Centaur, and more! These different races, and classes, have learned to work together in harmony for the good of all. While the other guilds have boasted new mechanics this guild brings back a fan favorite with Convoke. Sadly we don’t get a Chord of Calling reprint which would have been awesome!

Conclave Tribunal was one of the first cards to be revealed during PAX weekend at the beginning of the month. While you have to use some of your creatures to use this for cheap it can put a hole in the opposing defense allowing your other creatures to get through. This card is quite powerful especially if your forces have Vigilance.

Convoke plus a permanent buff? Venerated Loxodon is a really strong card. Imagine casting this for one white mana, and then using it plus your remaining mana to cast another one, in the same turn. Unless you can answer some of the threats you could be dead the next turn. I’m glad this does not have Trample, or it would be super powerful.

Elf? Check. Draws cards when you play a creature? Check. Has green mana? Check. Beast Whisperer is quite strong in an aggro or a creature heavy mid-range deck. It has three toughness, but keep in mind that Elvish Clancaller exists to keep it out of Lightning Strike range. I would keep an eye on this card as drawing cards by following your plan only helps you achieve victory.

Gate? Heck yes. However while Circuitous Route is not going to find Maze’s End in Standard perhaps we can in Modern. While it would be an FNM deck it is something we could try. Ramp spells are also beneficial for EDH decks, although green sure does have a ton of them already. I could see this in a Standard deck looking to use a lot of the split cards, or perhaps a card I’ll be talking about in a moment, but not as a four of.

Civic Wayfinder, and Borderland Ranger each saw competitive play, and I’m sure District Guide will as well. It’s also an Elf which is beneficial in the new Standard as Elf tribal could be an archetype. This also can get Gates which could use this creature as a blocker in a casual Maze’s End Modern deck too. Unlike this previous card this is definitely a four of in the decks it will be played in as it fixes your mana (even if you use it to get a Gate).

This card is sweet. While it is odd that she produced 1/1 white Soldier tokens (instead of Elves) Emmara, Soul of the Accord showcases how this guild works together, collectively, in it’s pursuits regardless of race or class. Very on theme. Did you know she can be part of an infinite mana combo in Modern too? Here’s what you need.

• Cryptolith Rites
• Intruder Alarm
• Emmara, Soul of the Accord

Infinite mana.

What can you get with that much mana? A giant Walking Ballista? A huge Banefire? What about more creatures at INSTANT speed?

Sure. I miss Sphinx’s Revelation (a lot), but March of the Multitudes is somewhat close. You really only need to cast this on your opponent’s end step to begin to turn the corner. I see this as another Secure the Wastes, but your other creatures will allow you to cast this card. This is also a good card to use when your board is getting wiped away. Do not sleep on this card!

The Selesnya Conclave is full of strategies for those who enjoy go wide aggro, and mid-range decks. If you enjoy getting the maximum value out of your cards then this guild is right up your alley. Make sure you have enough cards to increase the power and toughness of your creatures to avoid problems with Goblin Chainwhirler as it’s a bane to all token decks currently in Standard.

We have reached the end. The five guilds have been revealed, and I have covered them all as much as I can. Are there cards from other sets in Standard that you want to couple with those in the Selesnya colors for Standard? Do you want to try Maze’s End in Modern now too? Make sure to comment below, and to follow me on both Facebook as well as Twitter.

Until next week when I return to weekly Monday articles…

TAP MORE MANA!!!

Scott Campbell

Scott Campbell, better known as MTGPackFoils, has been playing Magic since he was 17 (which was in 1993). He’s known for loving decks such as Azorius Control, Jund, and others (especially in Modern). He is a husband, father, and a former nightclub DJ.

http://www.twitter.com/MTGPackFoils

The Izzet League

Followed by those who seek greater knowledge, or those who choose to become part of an experiment, the Izzet League are the inventors on Ravnica. Led, until recently, by the Dracogenius Niv-Mizzet this blue and red mana guild is currently being ran by Ral Zarek.

The mechanic this time around for these inventors is Jump-start. While this is a name better suited for the Kaladesh setting this mechanic feels like a take on the Flashback and Retrace mechanics blended together. In order to cast a spell with Jump-start from your graveyard you have to discard a card, and in the late game when you draw an unnecessary land this could be beneficial.

When a new set enters Standard one thing we look for are replacements for cards that have rotated out of the format. So as Glimmer of Genius leaves a replacement is warranted, and in this case it’s Chemister’s Insight. In recent years Wizards of the Coast has tried to provide players a card like Inspiration feeling that drawing two cards for four mana at instant speed is fair (and in Standard it is), but they have juiced it up a bit this time. Allowing you to draw four cards for eight mana, and discarding a card, will make this a card for us control players to use. I can’t wait to play this card.

Punisher cards, where you give your opponent a choice on how the spell resolves, are a topic of strategy that has happened for many years. In the case of the Jump-start mechanic Risk Factor puts the advantage slightly back into your favor. If you play with multiples of these your chances of the opponent taking four damage is minimized over time. This card is a better version of Browbeat, and is my pick for FNM card from this guild.

This card seems interesting. While walls in control strategies are sometimes needed in aggressive metagames they usually provide something upon coming into play. This card provides an advantage the longer it remains in play with a control deck. Those decks usually play a lot of instants in the form of counterspells or spot removal, and even in the event you have to cast a sweeper at sorcery speed you still get the trigger from this upon casting before the spell resolves. Having two of these in play can really pressure your opponent. I wouldn’t mind trying this card.

Runaway Steam-Kin is the most hyped card in red, and honestly I can see applications for this in Modern. As people look at this card they think primarily of burn spells, and rightfully so. However I am thinking of other cards that have red in their casting cost, especially in Modern:

• Terminate
• Kolaghan’s Command
• Atarka’s Command

That’s just to name a few. Those cards can do things other than burn your opponent, which can be more beneficial in a game, and can help grow the Steam-Kin. Speaking of grow couple this with the following cards, and you may have a sweet aggressive Jund aggro deck:

• Quirion Dryad
• Winding Constrictor
• Hardened Scales
• Walking Ballista

This might be one to watch.

Of any card in this set to make me play Jeskai it is Ionize. Having a card that only costs a single blue in it’s cost be able to counter a spell is pretty strong, and the fact this card is in Standard tells me that there should be plenty of ways to counter a spell for anyone wishing to play a control deck. If you look at this card close enough it’s an Instant speed Blightning. The card you are countering is essentially discarded, and the 2 damage is nothing to sneeze at either. This card will be seen a lot in Standard, and some mages may play it in Modern as well.

All control decks need a finisher, and Niv-Mizzet, Parun is indeed just that. A creature that can’t be countered the only downside to this card is that it ties up your available mana. However if you untap with him anytime you draw a card you are doing damage. Dealing more than five damage a turn can help end games quickly, and this guy partners with Teferi, Hero of Dominaria quite well.

Now we arrive at the other planeswalker in the set in Ral, Izzet Viceroy. A very main character in the story, and minion of Nicol Bolas. While this card has the same template many planeswalker cards have had before it the second ability is quite interesting as it counts cards in exile, Those in exile may be the ones you cast with the Jump-start ability giving them a use beyond their second casting. Otherwise he is competing for a spot currently occupied by the time mage Teferi, Hero of Dominaria.

The Izzet League always has something up it’s sleeve, and this time it’s no different. Their designs are usually simplistic, and straight to the point (draw cards, do damage to something, etc), but that efficiency is where their guild shines. For them the only way to succeed is through trial and error, even if that means dealing with a lot of errors.

Was this article quick? You bet. Izzet mages waste no time so neither should I when covering them. Are you also sad the charm cycle did not come back in this set? Izzet Charm was a sweet card. Leave a comment below, and make sure to follow me on both Facebook as well as Twitter. Tomorrow I will cover the last guild the Selesnya Conclave.

Until then…

TAP MORE MANA!!!

Scott Campbell

Scott Campbell, better known as MTGPackFoils, has been playing Magic since he was 17 (which was in 1993). He’s known for loving decks such as Azorius Control, Jund, and others (especially in Modern). He is a husband, father, and a former nightclub DJ.

http://www.twitter.com/MTGPackFoils

The Golgari Swarm

The largest guild on Ravnica, the Golgari Swarm is host to many necromancers as well as undead. However the guild is not solely focused on such things. They also tend to the land itself as they embrace both life and death as one continuous natural cycle. Hosting members of many tribes (including Trolls, Gorgons, and even Oozes) (Editors Note: In the story, creatures that aren’t Elvish are referred to as Teratogens!) a large part of their population are either Devkarin (a race of Elves) or Human(ish). Recently the guild has a new leader in Vraska who recently returned from Ixalan in addition to an increased presence by the Kraul (a race of hive mind-like insects), and will play a pivotal role in the upcoming story.

In Guilds of Ravnica Undergrowth is the new mechanic. Not as powerful as Dredge, but a lot better than Scavenge (the two previous mechanics respectfully), Undergrowth allows for effects to happen depending on how many creatures are in your graveyard. For a guild based on the enemy colors of black and green mana it might seem this mechanic would work at cross purposes with the colors involved, but you may be surprised with what tricks this guild has up its collective sleeve.

Lotleth Troll is a perfect example of a big payoff using Undergrowth. A 6/5 creature with no abilities seems a little weak, but it would be hard to efficiently trade with this creature if it’s attacking with others so it does have some advantage beyond just the card itself. Decks that utilize the graveyard, most namely Dredge, will often have several creatures in the graveyard to deal damage to the opponent. This card will be a lot of fun to play with, but we need a way to resurrect it from the graveyard instead of paying full retail for it. I will try to make room for this in my Meren of Clan Nel Toth EDH deck.

Another card for my Meren EDH deck will be Plaguecrafter. A better version of Fleshbag Marauder  this card is sweet! While a 3/2 is nothing to sneeze at one thing that’s missed on this card is it’s subtype: Human. I expect a non-zero number of copies of this card to appear in sideboards of Humans Modern decks as against Azorius Control is can cause the opponent to sacrifice their Gideon Jura allowing the Humans to swing in freely.

My sleeper pick for the guild is Pilfering Imp. Placed along with the discard spells already in Standard this card can help keep your opponent off tempo by sacrificing itself allowing you to utilize cards with the keyword Undergrowth while interacting with your opponent. Having this come down on your first turn it can be useful to use its ability when your opponent has a flying blocker, or the turn after you have already seen their hand but lack a discard spell.

What’s better than fueling Undergrowth though? Bringing your creatures back of course! Gruesome Menagerie does exactly that. Allowing you to get back the top two cards I mentioned to use again allows you to use your graveyard as an extension of your hand, and provides additional bodies to block if needed. I can see this card somewhere in the Abzan Company deck, affectionately called “Faux Pod” since the banning of Birthing Pod years ago. Also another addition to my Meren EDH deck this card will have it’s uses.

This is the card I want to build with the most. Mausoleum Secrets is an instant speed TUTOR!!! Holy cow! It allows you to get anything from your library based on how many creatures are in your graveyard. I want you to take a moment and look at Collective Brutality. Come back here when you’re done.

Done? Okay go back and re-read it.

Done? Sweet. These two cards pair so well together it’s absurd. Granted in Standard this will be used with the Surveil mechanic that I talked about yesterday, but I feel it’s use may be primarily to go get our next card out of Standard decks.

Yes. We have finally reached the point where we talk about the card that many have asked me about. Assassin’s Trophy has taken over nearly all conversation about Guilds of Ravnica, and rightfully so. An instant speed version of a cheaper Vindicate this allows Jund to have a weapon against Tron decks during game one. It takes care of anything (Yes. ANYTHING!), but unlike Abrupt Decay it can be countered by many cards in the format so you have to pick your targets wisely. While the deckbuilding restrictions of needing to be in a deck with black and green does limit it some I would not be surprised to see this as THE removal spell in Standard, and one of the strongest cards in Modern. However with all of that said I would not start with more than three in your Modern Jund decks. Doing this still provides you game against problematic decks, but versus decks where it’s only “ok” against having three gives you space to make appropriate changes going to game two. You will still want four Lightning Bolts as that’s often times better removal against early creatures, and Assassin’s Trophy even makes Fatal Push better. It will be played against you, and trigger Revolt off of Fatal Push allowing you to remove one of your opponent’s creatures during that same turn (so not necessarily immediately). I would also run a pair of Swamps and Forests, and make adjustments from there depending on how many of these are showing up against you.

The Queen has taken her throne. After making a deal with Nicol Bolas, Vraska has become the master of the Golgari Swarm. This powerful Gorgon is on full display on the card Vraska, Golgari Queen, and this card is quite solid. While not able to get to full loyalty with the help of Doubling Season on the turn you cast her the abilities she possesses are quite good. Her first ability should be targeting cards who either only have a use when the come into play so you can get them back later, or target a card like Stitcher Supplier from Core Set 2019. You could also target a land of yours if you need to cast another spell on your main phase, and have a replacement land in hand.

Her second ability can remove smaller permanents on the board that may be in the way of your attackers. This can also remove any other permanent that’s not a creature as well so keep an eye out on what your opponent plays.

Her third ability is pretty sweet. If you have a creature that will go unblocked (one with flying or trample) you win the game. While I don’t expect this to happen often in Standard it can help get around potential board stalls so make sure to prepare properly when using her abilities.

Wow, what a lot of powerful cards! Grave-Shell Scarab was one of the first Golgari cards I ever played, and we have come a long way since those days. Are there any Golgari cards I missed that you think will be great? (Editors Note: Hint hint Necrotic Wound) Share your thoughts below, and make sure to follow me on both Facebook as well as Twitter.

Until Tomorrow when we blow up the Izzet League (Editors Note: Niv might not be too happy about that)…

TAP MORE MANA!!!

Scott Campbell

Scott Campbell, better known as MTGPackFoils, has been playing Magic since he was 17 (which was in 1993). He’s known for loving decks such as Azorius Control, Jund, and others (especially in Modern). He is a husband, father, and a former nightclub DJ.

http://www.twitter.com/MTGPackFoils

The House Dimir

If I were to play a Rogue or a Sorcerer in the upcoming Guildmaster’s Guide to Ravnica Dungeons & Dragons supplement my character would be from House Dimir. This guild reminds me a lot of The Night Masks which were running Westgate until they were found, and driven out. With the guild being tied to blue and black mana the colors are well represented here. Obtaining knowledge, and power at any cost are the two hallmarks of those colors which this guild represents quite well in the new set.

Surveil is the mechanic of the guild this time around, and it allows you to look at cards from the top of your library. and put any number of them into your graveyard with the rest going back on top. While it’s not quite Scry I think this mechanic will be quite powerful in the new Standard at the very least.

Thief of Sanity reminds me a lot of Nightveil Specter from the previous Ravnica set, but this is definitely different. Outside of the mana cost the card you get to select when you connect with this you will be able to cast even after this creature has been removed. The fact the card is face down, and you can cast it by using mana of any color fits the theme of the guild. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this come out of sideboards.

While no Thoughtseize, casting Thought Erasure early (or even a turn after casting Duress) could still really put your opponent behind, and if the card on top of your deck is one you can’t cast soon it can help you sculpt your hand a little. The fact you can pluck any card can help you take cards that may be difficult to handle (such as cards with Hexproof), or nonland permanents that could also be problematic (Planeswalkers for example). I could see this card played in Modern at FNMs to supplement other discard spells.

Control decks always need some type of evasive finisher, and Nightveil Predator is absolutely solid in that role. The only keyword it’s missing is Lifelink, but even without that your opponent may not want to block due to it having Deathtouch. As long as you have removal spells for your opponent’s creatures a few swings of this can put you ahead. This is also not Legendary, and if you want to play a Tribal deck this could support the Vampires from the Ixalan sets.

Control decks also want to draw cards, and while we do have Divination in Standard Notion Rain does a lot more. If the top two cards of your deck are not good you can put them into the graveyard, and draw two cards. For anyone who remembers Read The Bones that card was great for the quality of cards it could draw you, and outside of the mana cost this card is a little better. What this, and other Surveil cards also do, is fuel your Search for Azcanta. In the case of Notion Rain can add three cards to your graveyard getting you closer to finding Azcanta.

Now we get to the card that will be played the most in Standard. Sinister Sabotage, a very thematical card for the guild, comes from a long line of counterspells with similars costs. Cancel, Dissolve, and Disallow are all cards that have a similar cost, and this particular card may be the best among them all. A clean answer to any spell being cast, and the Surveil mechanic helps you fill your graveyard to transform Search For Azcanta as early as possible. For us Azorius Control players we will have to use this Dimir card until this coming winter, and hope we can cleanse our deck of influences from other guilds.

This card is crazy. Unmoored Ego is quite strong, and is another card I expect to see at Modern FNMs at the very least. Here we have a card where you can name ANY CARD. Yes. Even LANDS. So against Tron you can name Urza’s Tower, and get them all. Against multicolored decks that only have a few basics of a certain color you can try to deny that color that way as well. This will be quite a powerful card to watch.

This card may not look like much, but at four mana you can cast Connive, and take your opponent’s Aurelia, Exemplar of Justice as she is a 2/5. However Concoct is the card I’m looking at, even if it’s only a single card. This card can Surveil an Obzedat, Ghost Council to the graveyard, and put it into play for five mana. No granted Obzedat also costs five mana overall, but the Esper deck running Goryo’s Vengeance is mostly a Dimir based deck with a splash of white. Keep in mind in that you can cast one side, and then later on cast the other side with a card like a transformed Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy.

House Dimir has a lot it can offer, and it’s ability to manipulate the top of your library can unlock spells for you to cast when you need them. However unlike Boros this looks to be more of a support guild, but that also seems to fit the guild’s theme as it always tries to infiltrate some of the guilds to force it’s agenda.

There’s a look at the cards from House Dimir. Tomorrow I’ll take a look at the Golgari Swarm, and I’m sure there is a certain card you all are looking for my thoughts on. Until then are there any secrets that the Dimir gave us that I missed? Leave a comment below, and make sure to follow me on both Facebook as well as Twitter.

Until tomorrow…

TAP MORE MANA!!!

Scott Campbell

Scott Campbell, better known as MTGPackFoils, has been playing Magic since he was 17 (which was in 1993). He’s known for loving decks such as Azorius Control, Jund, and others (especially in Modern). He is a husband, father, and a former nightclub DJ.

http://www.twitter.com/MTGPackFoils

Today though we’re going to talk about another planeswalker. Today’s spotlight will land on the Sangromancer himself: Sorin.

There have been four planeswalker cards featuring Sorin Markov in various casting costs, and he is quite the fan favorite among many in the Magic: the Gathering community (Editors Note: Also still stuck in a rock). I’ll go through each one, in order of release, and take a look at a possible deck for each of them. First up the original.

Sorin Markov

Mono Black Control

Creature
3 Fulminator Mage
2 Hypnotic Specter

Instant
3 Fatal Push
2 Tendrils of Corruption
2 Victim of Night
1 Murderous Cut
1 Dismember

Planeswalker
4 Liliana of the Veil
2 Sorin Markov

Sorcery 
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
3 Damnation
3 Read the Bones
3 Thoughtseize
2 Corrupt

Land
8 Swamps
4 Bloodstained Mire
4 Field of Ruin
4 Marsh Flats
2 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
2 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Ghost Quarter

Sideboard
4 Leyline of the Void
3 Rain of Tears
3 Collective Brutality
2 Liliana the Last Hope
2 Duress
1 Crucible of Worlds

How the deck works

Appearing for the first time in Zendikar Sorin Markov is designed for a heavy black build if not just mono black (which honestly is more likely). Unlike blue based control decks this deck cannot counter spells the opponent is playing (yes we are NOT going to play Dash Hopes. Sorry.) so we have to be proactive. This requires us to attack their hand, and play a lot of removal. Your manabase is also really simple allowing you to attack their mana with Field of Ruin, Ghost Quarter, and Fulminator Mage. While the fetchlands may not feel like they are necessary it does turn on Revolt for your Fatal Pushes.

Your primary way of winning is putting the opponent’s life total to 10 with Sorin Markov, and finishing them off with Corrupt. You can build up a lot of mana with the few permanents you have due to them having more than one black symbol in their mana costs so exploit that as much as you can while keeping your opponent in top deck mode. Your sideboard has additional hate for Big Mana decks with Rain of Tears, and plans for Burn, graveyard based decks, and blue based Control decks.

Sorin, Lord of Innistrad

Modern Esper Control

Creature
3 Snapcaster Mage

Enchantment
2 Search For Azcanta
1 Detention Sphere

Instant
4 Opt
3 Cryptic Command
3 Path To Exile
2 Fatal Push
1 Hyrogliphic Illumination
1 Logic Knot
1 Negate
1 Azorius Charm
1 Secure the Wastes
1 Spell Snare

Planeswalker
3 Jace, Architect of Thought
2 Sorin, Lord of Innistrad
1 Gideon Jura

Sorcery
4 Terminus
1 Timely Reinforcements

Land
4 Flooded Strand
3 Celestial Colonade
3 Island
3 Polluted Delta
2 Field of Ruin
2 Glacial Fortress
2 Hallowed Fountain
1 Drowned Catacomb
1 Godless Shrine
1 Marsh Flats
1 Plains
1 Swamp
1 Watery Grave

Sideboard
2 Spell Queller
2 Stony Silence
2 Dispel
1 Baneslayer Angel
1 Jace, Memory Adept
1 Settle the Wreckage
1 Anguished Unmaking
1 Celestial Purge
1 Disenchant
1 Negate
1 Surgical Extraction
1 Nihil Spellbomb

How the deck works

Sorin, Lord of Innistrad was released in Dark Ascension, and until the next Sorin was released this one was my favorite. The ability to produce a lot of tokens with this Sorin makes him his own win condition, however I added a few more. This deck actually existed during the time of Innistrad through Return to Ravnica blocks, and did quite well for itself in that meta. I decided to make a few changes to the original list for Modern play. Let’s go over a few of these.

• Gideon Jura couples well with the other planeswalkers in the deck. Stalling any non-flying aggro from hitting you or damaging Gideon too much gives you time to clear the board (hopefully for the second time) before attacking for a lot of damage.
• Terminus is the best board wipe in Modern. If you run a deck that can cast it for one white mana you should run this over other sweepers.
• Secure the Wastes works great with Sorin’s emblem as you have a lot of 2/1 creatures, and those could end the game rather quickly on their own.

This deck only splashes black for cards like the aforementioned Sorin, Fatal Push, and a few sideboard cards. If you’re looking for a fun FNM deck to play I would start here. Yes the Azorius Charm looks strange, but it’s bounce ability works well with Field of Ruin, and the hidden mode of lifegain can be relevant.

Sorin, Solemn Visitor

Modern Abzan Midrange

Creature
4 Tarmogoyf
3 Scavenging Ooze
3 Grim Flayer
2 Tasigur the Golden Fang
2 Walking Ballista

Instant
3 Path to Exile
2 Fatal Push
1 Murderous Cut
1 Abrupt Decay

Planeswalker
3 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
2 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar

Sorcery
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
3 Lingering Souls
2 Thoughtseize
1 Maelstrom Pulse

Land
4 Blooming Marsh
4 Verdant Catacomb
3 Marsh Flats
3 Shambling Vent
2 Overgrown Tomb
1 Godless Shrine
1 Forest
1 Plains
1 Swamp
1 Temple Garden
1 Treetop Village
1 Twlight Mire
1 Windswept Heath

Sideboard
3 Fulminator Mage
3 Collective Brutality
2 Liliana, the Last Hope
2 Stony Silence
2 Duress
1 Damnation
1 Celestial Purge
1 Grafdigger’s Cage

How the deck works

Before I stopped writing my “Speaking Casually” series of articles (and I may bring those back) I was going to write about a similar build of this deck. Although the above cards are the foundation of a token strategy this deck does focus a lot on green for quality midrange creatures. By landing an early Tarmogoyf, or Grim Flayer you start applying early pressure to your opponent. The later of those two can power them both if it connects which can be brutal when paired together. Your non-creature spell suite, while mana efficient, can also be situational. Path to Exile, for instance, doesn’t do well vs Azorius Control. However Lingering Souls does. Make sure to sideboard out the right cards in your matchups to capitalize on their effectiveness. The remainder of the deck is typical for a black/green/x deck currently in Modern with the exception of two cards:

• Tasigur the Golden Fang: Not typical for these lists, and his Delve mechanic may seem counter productive to the rest of the creatures in the deck, it’s ability can refill the graveyard for use again. You could even use Scavenging Ooze to limit the opponent’s choice of bad cards to give you when you activate Tasigur.
• Walking Ballista: This is something I saw this week at FNM, and damn does it seem sweet here. I should probably get a few copies for myself honestly as it’s even starting to see play in Control decks in Legacy. This card counts as two card types for Tarmogoyf and Grim Flayer.

As always there are ways to fight Tron in the sideboard, as well as Burn, Control, and artifact based decks. This would also be another neat deck to run at FNM if you can’t afford traditional midrange pieces like Liliana of the Veil, and Dark Confidant.

Sorin, Grim Nemesis

Modern Orzhov Prison

Creature
3 Wall of Omens

Enchantment
3 Oblivion Ring
3 Rest in Peace
2 Sphere of Safety
2 Ghostly Prison

Instant
3 Fatal Push
3 Path to Exile

Planeswalker
2 Sorin, Grim Nemesis
2 Gideon of the Trials

Sorcery
4 Terminus
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
3 Thoughtseize
1 Timely Reinforcements

Land
5 Swamp
4 Field of Ruin
4 Marsh Flats
3 Plains
3 Shambling Vent
2 Godless Shrine
2 Isolated Chapel
1 Fetid Heath
1 Ghost Quarter

Sideboard
3 Leyline of Sanctity
3 Greater Auramancy
3 Duress
2 Stony Silence
1 Baneslayer Angel
1 Gideon’s Intervention
1 Timely Reinforcements
1 Anguished Unmaking

How the deck works

I’ll admit this one was a little tough, but I wanted to find a way to highlight each Sorin as they are all unique in some way. For instance this Sorin, which was released in Shadows Over Innistrad costs SIX MANA to play. That’s a lot, and if you aren’t ramping then how the heck are you going to play this? This is when I thought about a Prison style deck (Editors Note: Fitting deck style, considering he’s stuck in a rock). Let’s look a bit further.

• Ghostly Prison slows down aggro decks as the opponent would have to pay an extra two mana for each attacking creature. However we’re not stopping there with Enchantments.
• Sphere of Safety taxes the opponent even more for not only attacking you, but also your planeswalkers. That tax is equal to the number of enchantments you control as well.
• Gideon of the Trials while not an enchantment can still tax your opponent. With Wall of Omens in play, and even just Ghostly Prison the opponent may not be able to attack with everything. You have probably already used Gideon’s +1 ability to Fog a creature, and you’ll have removal in hand to deal with another.

So how do you win? Well drawing cards with Sorin, Grim Nemesis of course. It’s +1 ability slowly drains life from the opponent until you either have defeated them, or made a ton of 1/1 creatures with this. Imagine if your opponent has “an arbitrarily large life total” due to a combo. You wipe the board with Terminus, and then ultimate Sorin, Grim Nemesis. It sounds like a bad time for them.

In the sideboard you have more enchantments, and cards to deal with both Artifact decks, any deck that wants to interact with you, and ways to tax your opponent further with Gideon’s Intervention.

Whew.

Even though there are only four Sorins this was a little complex trying to find a home for each of them. Remember these decks are made to focus on the planeswalker himself, and build around it in some fashion.

What do you think of these decks? Are there any cards you think I have missed? Please leave a comment, and make sure to follow me on both Facebook as well as Twitter.

NEXT WEEK I will take a look at each of the guilds coming to us in Guilds of Ravnica. It will be a HUGE undertaking for me as it will be the first time I have done this, and I know many of you are asking me about my thoughts. Trust me. They are coming.

Until next week…

TAP MORE MANA!!!

Scott Campbell

Scott Campbell, better known as MTGPackFoils, has been playing Magic since he was 17 (which was in 1993). He’s known for loving decks such as Azorius Control, Jund, and others (especially in Modern). He is a husband, father, and a former nightclub DJ.

http://www.twitter.com/MTGPackFoils

The first question I ask back when someone asks me what deck they should play at XXXXX event is simple. What are your goals for playing Magic at this event? This question does throw some people off, but I feel it is the most important thing to consider both when choosing what deck to play, and in some cases what event(s) to play.  This refers more to lower-level events, but asking yourself that question will help guide you in deck decision, even at larger events (I’ll get back to larger events in a few; for now, let’s stick to weekly FNM style events). When attending weekly events at your LGS, you may find that you have many possible and varying goals week to week.

My current goal at FNM is simply to test out more cards, and variations on my Modern UW control deck.  On a week to week basis with that as my goal, I don’t necessarily consider what deck to play. Instead I consider what silly tech will I try out. Getting more practice with a deck is a viable goal for attending a weekly event.

Another scenario that comes up often is using Magic as a tool to just get outta the house.  Some weeks I just want to get out of my house (the one downside of working from home) and see my buds.  This means playing a deck like my current UW list, or a deck like Storm are off the table.  These are the weeks I gravitate towards Burn or a similar deck that will let the outcome of my match be decided in the first 7 minutes of the round. I can spend time between rounds talking to friends and trolling other guys playing grindy matchups.

On some rare occasions, my goal for a weekly event is to just plain have fun, not care about winning, and do things unexpected.  Have fun with my opponents by playing a deck they do not expect, or decks that leverage cards not commonly played.  With limited live MTG time these days, this scenario is few and far between.  A couple gems from this goal are my short love affair with Mono-Blue Turns (Back when Jace, the Mind Sculptor was banned, and Nexus of Fate was just a bad idea and not a card) and my short spell-slinging fling with Troll Worship. Brief Disclaimer: If you are strapped for cash and trying to earn credit or cash from weekly events, this is a terrible idea.  But loads of fun!

My final weekly goal for deck choice is the ‘HOLY COW, I just got this super sweet card, now I need to show it off to my friends’ goal.  It may sound strange that I would actually include this; but let’s face it, they call me Strictly Average for a reason. Recently, I acquired a playset of my most sought-after card.  The one I have always wanted, but never owned.  And that is the WCMQ Thalia, Guardian of Thraben. So, in order to properly show her off to my friends, I am working on shoring up a UW spirits list that will allow me to cast her in all of her foil glory. This deck probably will never see ultra-competitive play for me, as it’s just not my style.  But with a goal of sick brags, this deck choice is perfect.

Take a step back and look at this theory; ask yourself what your goals are for an event at the larger scale?  If you’re heading to a PPTQ, IQ, GP, or an Open, the level 1 answer is to win as many rounds as possible. If you are going to one of these events for the first time, or are generally a novice at higher level play, the answer is to play your most comfortable deck.  This ties into the goal of winning as many games as possible and getting better.

For those who regularly attend these events, the equation gets super complicated.  I mean, Differential Equations complicated. ‘Well, such and such a deck is better than this one.’ ‘So and so won an event last week with this one deck, everyone is gonna try to beat them with this other deck, and I am gonna be Smart and Level 3 them by choosing the deck that beats the deck that beats this other deck.’

This is all enough to make you go mad. Simply put, having clear goals for a larger event will help guide the deck choice. I attended a Standard PPTQ a while back, and it was after the emergence of RB vehicles style decks. My goal for that PPTQ was straightforward.  I didn’t want to lose to RB, so I crafted my deck to hose RB. (Truthfully this was a poor decision because I went 2-3 at the event).  Although I did terribly versus non-RB matches, I didn’t lose a single game to RB. Some may read this and think I failed because I went 2-3.  Nope, I succeeded in my goal.  I was happy with the outcome because it led to adjusting my overall decklist and playstyle for the rest of that standard format.  And Teferi, Hero of Dominaria and Search For Azcanta have paid for themselves multiple times over in prizes.

I hope after sitting through this random stream of thought that the next time you ask yourself, or someone else, ‘What Deck should I play?’ you follow up with asking yourself ‘What are my goals at this event?’

Be Kind to eachother!

-Strictly

Jeremy Beardsley

Jeremy aka “Strictly Average” is an ‘average’ guy with ‘average’ plans. He is the creator and overboss of Strictly Average Gaming, which includes the Patreon group and StrictlyAverageMTG.com

https://strictlyaveragemtg.com

As many of you may know Jund has been one of my go to archetypes for a long while regardless of eternal format. Sadly we do not have a Jund deck in Legacy, and these days Modern is where I go to get that fix. While the deck has been on the downswing recently it still sees play, puts up 5-0 finishes in MTGO leagues, and shows up on camera at big tournaments.

I recently have been playing this at FNMs, and a recent PPTQ. While FNM sometimes may not be a proper measure of a deck I do want to share my thoughts with the deck. First though I want to share where I am currently with it after those events.

Creature 14
4 Bloodbraid Elf
4 Tarmogoyf
3 Dark Confidant
3 Scavenging Ooze

Instant 9
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Kolaghan’s Command
2 Fatal Push
1 Abrupt Decay

Planeswalker 5
3 Liliana of the Veil
2 Liliana, the Last Hope

Sorcery 8
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
2 Thoughtseize
1 Maelstrom Pulse
1 Dreadbore

Land
4 Blackcleave Cliffs
4 Verdant Catacombs
3 Bloodstained Mire
3 Raging Ravine
2 Overgrown Tomb
2 Swamp
1 Blood Crypt
1 Forest
1 Stomping Ground
1 Treetop Village
1 Twilight Mire
1 Wooded Foothills

Sideboard
3 Fulminator Mage
2 Anger of the Gods
2 Collective Brutality
2 Ancient Grudge
1 Huntmaster of the Fells
1 Maelstrom Pulse
1 Golgari Charm
1 Thoughtseize
1 Grafdigger’s Cage
1 Nihil Spellbomb

Deck Overview

While my deck may not be exactly what you play I’ll go over some thoughts a few cards at a time. The core of the deck remains mostly the same though even as the deck has evolved since the banned & restricted list was updated back in February.

• Bloodbraid Elf has been a mainstay of the deck. This card helps you turn the corner, and it’s especially true in matchups where casting 2 spells in a turn is needed to get ahead (Control, Tron, KCI for example). Some people have cut her altogether. Others have cut one or two in favor of other cards. I can’t see playing any other card than this in the main deck at this mana cost. Just keep in mind if you are going to cast this, fetch first. If not you may be putting multiple lands on the bottom of your library that you shuffle back in.
• Tarmogoyf is a 4/5 or stronger when it attacks. No reason to debate this card honestly. Yes it dies to A LOT in the format, but so do many creatures.
• Dark Confidant is the card that is drawing a lot of conversation lately. While it does provide you card advantage, and an early attacker against non-creature heavy decks, it’s been cut to a three of recently. While I too am skeptical of the change the format itself may be a little fast to run 4 of them, and if that’s the case having a second one in hand could be deadly. I have seen people play 2 of them, and the opponent pump the brakes to the Jund player dies to their own Dark Confidant triggers. It’s not impossible to have 2 in play, but it can be dangerous. I’m currently choosing to run three.

• Scavenging Ooze is really the All-Star of the deck. No green deck should leave home without it, and I choose to run three. The card is great, and keeps you alive. You have graveyard hate game one, and can supplement that during sideboard games. The card also gives you an edge against one of your worst matchups: Burn.
• Fatal Push is a card I have wanted to play more of recently. Outside of Tron this card can deal with most threats that you would expect to see at a tournament. Just be careful of the decks that play a lot of creatures above two casting cost (looking at you Goblin Rabblemaster) as you’ll need to save your fetchlands for the Revolt trigger. I currently want two.
• Lightning Bolt is perhaps the best card to cascade into when you cast Bloodbraid Elf, however there are many board states where that may not be the case. With that said this is the card that does provide the extra punch you need. Sometimes you need to be the beatdown deck, and aggro your opponent. This is crucial in matchups where giving the opponent more turns only lowers your chance of winning. Do not leave home without four in the main deck. It’s even better when you are against opponents that have early support creatures as a hand with a discard spells, Blackcleave Cliffs, and Lightning Bolt allows you to tempo them both on the board then in their hand very early in the game. That alone can be enough to put you ahead.

Planeswalkers

            vs.           

• Liliana of the Veil has been a staple in Modern Jund since her release. Providing many effects necessary for the deck to govern the board her importance can not be stated enough, however it may not be correct to run four of them at the moment. If an opponent is playing Humans by the time she is on the field they will sacrifice a creature not needed, or the discard may not matter. She is great against Control decks, and is ok vs Tron (better if you have been throwing discard spells their way), and pressures Storm players. However this is a dead card in decks with graveyard synergies such as Dredge, and Vengevine. I’m going to try three of them for awhile.
• Liliana, the Last Hope is pulling a Teferi, Hero of Dominaria, and slowly nudging her way in to the main deck. Her first ability helps you block more efficiently (or outright kill a creature to feed to either Tarmogoyf, or Scavenging Ooze). Her second ability is why I think she should be in the main deck. Allowing you to return a creature from your graveyard to you hand, to then cast it again, takes a lot of pressure off of Kolaghan’s Command allowing you to treat it more like a mini version of either Blightning or Smash to Smithereens. With both Lilians in play you can plus Veil, discarding a creature, and minus Last Hope to get it back to cast it. That seems too strong to pass up, and I’m going to run two main deck.

Permanent Removal

            vs.            

• Dreadbore, as well as Maelstrom Pulse, deal with one of our biggest problems: Planeswalkers. Any deck running Teferi, Hero of Dominaria is bad news for us. Allowing the opponent to have a constant stream of available mana on our turn can often times prevent us from ever getting ahead. Fatal Push can deal with Celestial Colonnade, and using Dreadbore helps ease up on the pressure you need to put on Planeswalkers allow your direct damage spells to go to the opponent.
• Terminate is useful against decks with a lot of creatures, but it is absolutely dead vs Tron, and Teferi Control decks. You would have to devote more resources or rely upon a Maelstrom Pulse (which may be a little slow) to deal with a planeswalker. This is why I am running one Dreadbore in the main deck over Terminate, and one Maelstrom Pulse main as well as one in the sideboard.

Sideboard

The sideboard can be one of the toughest to build. As the amount of decks you can encounter increases with each release it’s hard to truly prepare for everything. Let’s break down a few choices, and follow up with a few possible suggestions.

• As much as I don’t like losing to Tron decks I’m hesitant to max out on Fulminator Mage. It may be necessary though. When facing Tron you will want to blow up either Urza’s Mine, or Urza’s Power Plant. Keeping them off of either of those renders Urza’s Tower useless for what their plan is. This is another reason to run two Liliana, the Last Hopes in the main deck as recurring these creatures is crucial to winning this bad matchup. You should also use this vs Burn to keep them off of White mana.
• Collective Brutality gets better every time I cast it. Never leave home without at least two in the board, This card is excellent vs Burn, Storm, Control, and some Aggro (Elves, not Humans for example). Don’t be afraid to cast this for all of it’s modes as that can help turn the corner against some of these decks.
• Ancient Grudge is another card I like at a two of as well. The presence of Krark-Clan Ironworks decks, two versions of Affinity (the Hardened Scales version as well as the normal version), plus the number of times I encounter Ensnaring Bridge makes me want to hold at least two.

Some other cards I have in the board are:

• Huntmaster of the Fells: Honestly I feel like this is a flex slot. The number of Scavenging Ooze in the main deck, along with Collective Brutality makes me feel like this is a little redundant. I even go back and forth on Kitchen Finks, but that may be the card needed vs aggressive matchups. I’m not 100% sure yet. Maybe this could be another Nihil Spellbomb.
• Anger of the Gods is a card I have not had an opportunity to try yet, but that’s mainly because I have not come across the matchups for it (Elves, Vengevine, Dredge).
• Thoughtseize is a card I have long thought was not needed as an extra card in the board. No more. There are too many top decks where this card would be good as an extra copy, and they are ones I have mentioned multiple times today: Teferi based decks, Tron, and KCI decks.

There are some other cards I have thought about, however I’m not sure if they can be ran in the sideboard or not. They might be worth a try, and some I have already incorporated.

• Golgari Charm is super versatile. Killing x/1 creatures, blowing up enchantments (which is good against Bogles), and even for the surprise regeneration vs board sweepers. I currently run one.
• Vampire Nighthawk: An optional lifegain creature that also has Deathtouch could be a sweet cascade target. Even getting two swings in with this could be enough to turn the game in your favor, and the casting cost is not too severe as you already spend the same to cast a planeswalker. I’m watching this card, but not running it yet.
• Bitterblossom: We need ways to provide constant pressure on our opponent, and while this may be a little slow (you can finally start attacking with a Faerie two turns after resolving this spell) it could be something to look at. Similar to how Lingering Souls is bad vs us as well as Azorius based control decks this card can work in a similar manner. I don’t run it yet, but I am watching it.

Jund has a lot of play to it even in this current environment where we have decks producing a lot of mana quickly, flooding the board with creatures, or playing powerful planeswalkers. It feels overwhelming to try to battle everything, but if we focus on one match at a time we can pivot right when we need to in order to secure a win.

Do you play Jund? What are your thoughts? Please share them below, and make sure to follow me on both Facebook as well as Twitter. Next week I will answer your questions so make sure to visit my Facebook page to ask your questions. I will try to answer as many as I can.

Until next week when I answer those questions…

TAP MORE MANA!!!

Scott Campbell

Scott Campbell, better known as MTGPackFoils, has been playing Magic since he was 17 (which was in 1993). He’s known for loving decks such as Azorius Control, Jund, and others (especially in Modern). He is a husband, father, and a former nightclub DJ.

http://www.twitter.com/MTGPackFoils

Planeswalkers, first introduced in Lorwyn, have been a mainstay in many strategies since their release. From Jace Beleren being in Dimir Faeries, Chandra Nalaar supporting a Big Red strategy, and seeing other decks with Ajani Goldmane, Liliana Vess as well as Garruk Wildspeaker the early days of Planeswalkers in Magic found a home for them all.

These are always cards that players gravitate to first, and younger players get wide eyed when they pull one from a pack. I’ll always remember the time when a I sold a young player a booster pack of Magic 2015, and saw his eyes get huge when he pulled a foil Nissa, Worldwaker. Planeswalkers often times makes someone’s day, as well as saves them while in play.

So let’s take a look at one of them. Today we’ll talk about Gideon.

Gideon Jura

The first time we encountered Gideon was with the expansion Rise of Eldrazi. He appeared to fight the Eldrazi in order to not only save the plane of Zendikar, but also save the rest of the multiverse as well. He was also the first Planeswalker to be able to turn into a creature. While this version had a prevent all damage clause others later on would be indestructible when this happened.

His impact was immediate forming the first ever Superfriends deck in Standard, and honestly if you’re going to call your deck Superfriends it HAS to be Jeskai colors. He currently is at home in Azorius Control in Modern, but what if you wanted to build a Superfriends deck in Modern? Let’s take a look.

Modern Jeskai Superfriends

Creature (5)
3 Wall of Omens
2 Snapcaster Mage

Planeswalker (4)
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Gideon Jura
1 Ajani Vengeant

Sorcery (6)
4 Serum Visions
2 Supreme Verdict

Instant (17)
4 Path to Exile
3 Cryptic Command
3 Lightning Helix
3 Lightning Bolt
2 Electrolyze
1 Logic Knot
1 Negate

Enchantment (3)
2 Search For Azcanta
1 Detention Sphere

Land (25)
4 Flooded Strand
4 Scalding Tarn
3 Celestial Colonnade
3 Island
2 Field of Ruin
2 Steam Vents
1 Arid Mesa
1 Glacial Fortress
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Mountain
1 Plains
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Sulfur Falls

Sideboard (15)
4 Spreading Seas
2 Stony Silence
1 Settle the Wreckage
1 Timely Reinforcements
1 Vendilion Clique
1 Wear // Tear
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Celestial Purge
1 Negate
1 Dispel
1 Ghost Quarter

How the deck works

The plan is straightforward: Assemble the Superfriends.

• Gideon Jura will need to be played after a board sweeper, or if the board is mostly clear and he can survive the hit back. His +2 ability will be used the most until it’s time to turn the corner.
• Jace, the Mind Sculptor will hide behind Jura as well as Wall of Omens allowing you to gain the card advantage you need to win.
• Ajani Vengeant combos with Gideon Jura to keep the board cleared with both of their + abilities, and then will also start a light mana denial plan until the ultimate.

This deck does tend to go long so you’ll need to utilize your counterspells and removal efficiently to get these walkers deployed. You also have a solid sideboard plan vs Tron with Spreading Seas, Crucible of Worlds, and Ghost Quarter to team up with your Field of Ruin.

Gideon, Champion of Justice

The second offer of Gideon came in Gatecrash showing Gideon being a part of the Boros Legion. That one sentence is probably the best thing to say about this card. Arguably the worst Planeswalker ever printed his abilities lead me to believe he was meant to be a giant threat where his loyalty would be enough to win the game in one swing (or several if you active his ultimate). However, what if we did put him in a deck? What would it look like?

Boros Justice

Creature (4)
4 Wall of Omens

Enchantment (2)
2 Oblivion Ring

Instants (25)
4 Angelsong
4 Holy Day
4 Path to Exile
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Safe Passage
3 Lightning Helix
2 Gideon’s Reproach
1 Aurelia’s Fury

Planeswalker (3)
3 Gideon, Champion of Justice

Sorcery (2)
2 Day of Judgment

Lands (24)
4 Arid Mesa
4 Field of Ruin
4 Inspiring Vantage
4 Plains
3 Mountain
2 Clifftop Retreat
2 Sacred Foundry
1 Ghost Quarter

Sideboard (15)
3 Damping Sphere
3 Repel the Abominable
2 Shatterstorm
2 Rest in Peace
2 Stony Silence
2 Combust
1 Crucible of Worlds

How the deck works

This deck is essentially a Fog deck. You want to blank the combat damage while building up Gideon’s loyalty. Once you are above 15 you can exile all other permanents (including lands), and then start attacking your opponent. Your burn spells help deal with creatures early, and may provide you some life as well. Wall of Omens, and Angelsong can also help you draw cards, and you can keep Tron off of their lands game 1 by being a 2 color deck.

In the sideboard you have some tech vs Storm. Dawn Charm can counter Gifts Ungiven as you are the target of that spell. Repel the Abominable is also a flavor win for the deck, as well as a way to stop Grapeshot from killing you.

Kytheon, Hero of Akros / Gideon, Battle-Forged

Since the first days of Magic: the Gathering the archetype White Weenie has been as much of a staple archetype just as Elves, and Goblins. Through all of the changes that have happened in the game there are only a few things for certain: Death, Taxes, and White Weenie being good.

When Magic Origins was released we had a chance to see the earliest days of five planeswalkers who would soon become known as The Gatewatch. One of these was Kytheon, Hero of Akros. Hailing from the plane of Theros, young Kytheon ran the streets until he was caught. Growing up he learned the power of Hieromancy, but failed being good at what he does (being an invulnerable warrior), and his spark ignited. Sending him to Alara, Zendikar, and other planes as well. He is the tank of the party, and is always ready to get into the Red Zone. If I was going to build a deck around this guy it would look like this.

Modern Death & Taxes

Creatures (29)
4 Blade Splicer
4 Leonin Arbiter
4 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
4 Thalia’s Lieutenant
4 Kytheon, Hero of Akros
4 Thraben Inspector
3 Militia Bugler
2 Mirran Crusader

Artifacts (4)
4 Aether Vial

Instants (4)
4 Path to Exile

Lands (23)
10 Plains
4 Ghost Quarter
4 Tectonic Edge
2 Horizon Canopy
2 Shefet Dunes
1 Eiganjo Castle

Sideboard (15)
4 Damping Sphere
2 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
2 Kitchen Finks
2 Rest in Peace
2 Burrenton Forge-Tender
2 Selfless Spirit
1 Crucible of Worlds

How the deck works

Kytheon, Hero of Akros wants you to build a creature heavy deck, and as we see now in Modern one of the best ways to do this is with Aether Vial. Being able to deploy creatures on your opponent’s end step keeps the pressure going, and helps transform Kytheon, Hero of Akros sooner than later.

Once he is flipped you can find opportunities to protect your creatures by making them indestructible, or add in on the attacks. Leonin Arbiter also comes along for the ride to tax greedy decks via land destruction or fetchlands, and you can find more creatures to cast with Militia Bugler. Notice that it gets around an active Leonin Arbiter as well.

In the sideboard we have yet more cards to deal with degenerate mana decks, and a few copies of another Gideon we’ll talk about today.

Gideon, Ally of Zendikar

Gideon, Ally of Zendikar is quite powerful, and arguably the best Gideon card ever printed. While I feel Gideon Jura is the best this one is right up there with the original. This card was a mainstay in Standard during it’s entire rotation, yet does not see much play in Modern. He currently has a home in the sideboards of some Legacy Death & Taxes lists, but what can we do in Modern? In Standard he was part of many decks, one of which was (incorrectly imho) titled UW Flash. So let’s browse the internet for something close…

Modern Azorius Flash

Creature (8)
3 Augur of Bolas
2 Snapcaster Mage
2 Restoration Angel
1 Vendilion Clique

Artifact (1)
1 Runechanter’s Pike

Enchantments (3)
2 Search for Azcanta
1 Detention Sphere

Instants (13)
4 Path to Exile
3 Cryptic Command
3 Thought Scour
1 Sphinx’s Revelation
1 Negate
1 Azorius Charm

Planeswalker (3)
2 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor

Sorcery (7)
4 Serum Visions
2 Supreme Verdict
1 Wrath of God

Lands (25)
4 Celestial Colonade
4 Field of Ruin
4 Flooded Strand
4 Island
2 Glacial Fortress
2 Hallowed Fountain
2 Plains
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Moorland Haunt
1 Prairie Stream

Sideboard (15)
2 Spell Queller
2 Stony Silence
2 Dispel
2 Sugical Extraction
1 Comandeer
1 Torrential Gearhulk
1 Settle the Wreckage
1 Negate
1 Ceremonius Rejection
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Academy Ruins
1 Cavern of Souls

How the deck works

Prior to the Innistrad block leaving Standard there was a deck that actually had flash creatures in it allow you to utilize those creatures for their come into play abilities, or cast spells from the graveyard again. Restoration Angel was the most prominent in that role allow you to get extra value from not only Snapcaster Mage, but also Augur of Bolas. This deck plays somewhat like a midrange deck with the focus being on tempo plays to stay ahead until you can cast your win conditions. We can’t have too many non-instant or sorcery card in the main deck, and you may want to cut some if you find him missing on some triggers, however being able to select the card you need sometimes is better than just drawing a raw card. If you find this card not working for you at all I would replace him with Wall of Omens.

If your creatures die then you can make some new ones with Moorland Haunt to keep the pressure going. Gideon, Ally of Zendikar also provides a steady stream of creatures, and once you enchant one with Runchanter’s Pike it’s difficult for the opponent to block.

Your sideboard also has some tricks up it’s sleeve including Torrential Gearhulk which would be amazing to blink with Restoration Angel.

Gideon, Martial Paragon

Gideon, Martial Paragon was the first Gideon exclusively found in the Planeswalker decks. These decks are made to buy, and play Friday Night Magic right out of the box without any changes. These type of decks first appeared with the Kaladesh expansion, and replaced the intro decks that were designed. Each deck like this has only one Planeswalker card, and is focused on that card. These are definitely neat in design, and may have some space to brew with, but they are not made for Tier 1 play to make sure they are accessible to everyone.

Unlike other Gideons this one seems to work best with creatures you control. What could we possible do with this?

Modern Orzhov Tokens

Enchantment (9)
4 Intangible Virtue
3 Bitterblossom
2 Legion’s Landing

Instant (7)
4 Path to Exile
2 Fatal Push
1 Anguished Unmaking

Planeswalker (5)
3 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
2 Gideon, Martial Paragon

Sorcery (15)
4 Lingering Souls
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
3 Thoughtseize
2 Spectral Procession
2 Collective Brutality

Land (24)
4 Concealed Courtyard
4 Field of Ruin
4 Marsh Flats
4 Plains
2 Godless Shrine
2 Isolated Chapel
2 Swamp
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Vault of the Archangel

Sideboard (15)
4 Damping Sphere
2 Wrath of God
2 Auriok Champion
2 Rest in Peace
2 Stony Silence
1 Timely Reinforcements
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Grafdigger’s Cage

How the deck works

We’re focused on Gideon’s +2 ability in this deck, and with the majority of our spells making creatures we can swarm the field consistently to keep the pressure going. Notice how I seem to always have this Field of Ruin + Ghost Quarter + (sometimes) Crucible of Worlds package in decks? It’s to make sure the deck has games against Tron and Titan Valakut decks. While building a brew is great one should ALWAYS prepare for this matchups with Big Mana decks as they are the easiest to incorporate into the deck.

Due to not have any counters, and more than likely tapping out on your turns you have a heavy discard package to be proactive with your plays, and keep the opponent off balance. If you land Gideon while having Sorin, Solemn Visitor and tokens on the field you should be close to wrapping up the game.

Gideon of the Trials

Now we get to the last Gideon on the list. This one provided to us in Amonkhet has the ability to prevent you from losing the game as long as you have a Gideon planeswalker in play. Any Gideon will do not just this one.

Sounds pretty powerful right? This card, along with Approach of the Second Sun, Settle the Wreckage, and Search for Azcanta helped Azorius Control get up off the mat in Standard. Some of these cards have made it over to Modern, however as of late this Gideon has seen little play.

Let’s change that shall we?

Solar Flare

Creature (10)
3 Sun Titan
3 Wall of Omens
3 Phantasmal Image
1 Snapcaster Mage

Enchantment (1)
1 Detention Sphere

Instant (7)
4 Path to Exile
2 Negate
1 Fatal Push

Planeswalker (5)
3 Liliana of the Veil
2 Gideon of the Trials

Sorcery (12)
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
3 Lingering Souls
2 Thoughtseize
1 Unburial Rites
1 Supreme Verdict
1 Collective Brutality

Land (25)
4 Flooded Strand
3 Darkslick Shores
2 Concealed Courtyard
3 Polluted Delta
2 Cavern of Souls
2 Field of Ruin
2 Plains
2 Watery Grave
1 Godless Shrine
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Island
1 Marsh Flats
1 Swamp

Sideboard (15)
4 Spreading Seas
2 Geist of Saint Traft
1 Supreme Verdict
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Bottle Gnomes
1 Celestial Purge
1 Negate
1 Collective Brutality
1 Dispel
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Ghost Quarter

How the deck works

Those of you familiar with my writings know how much I loved this version of Solar Flare. Using discard outlets like Liliana of the Veil as well as Collective Brutality will put cards in your graveyard that you can get back with Sun Titan. So with Gideon of the Trials as a card with the converted mana cost of three he seemed like a natural fit. If you have his emblem in play Sun Titan can keep Gideon in play if he ever goes to the yard.

This deck is a tap out control deck. The only cards you really need to worry about are those that impact the graveyard so stay focused on the main plan, and you should be able to survive long enough for a win.

Will you look at that. 6 Gideon decks? Yep. There’s a lot of room to brew in Modern with just one Planeswalker, and with the right foundation you can build a solid deck that you can take to your local FNM.

What are your thoughts on these decks? Which one is your favorite? Do you have a deck with Gideon? If not how would you build one? Please share them below, and make sure to follow me on both Facebook as well as Twitter. Make sure to also send me your questions via social media as I am doing a Q&A for my article on September 10th. Please see the corresponding posts on my Facebook page, as well as Twitter (probably easier on Facebook honestly).

Until next time, where we go back to Jund…

TAP MORE MANA!!!

Scott Campbell

Scott Campbell, better known as MTGPackFoils, has been playing Magic since he was 17 (which was in 1993). He’s known for loving decks such as Azorius Control, Jund, and others (especially in Modern). He is a husband, father, and a former nightclub DJ.

http://www.twitter.com/MTGPackFoils