Modern Goblins Deck Guide

Michael RappModern

As its name implies, it’s not hard to see that Conspicuous Snoop is already a player in Modern. Snoop was one of my Top 5 Modern picks from M21, and it wasted no time making an impact on the format. A mere two days after M21 became available on Magic Online, a B/R Goblins combo deck like the one I …

Sultai Reclamation Deck Guide

Michael RappModern

Wilderness Reclamation in Modern? It isn’t as strange as it sounds!  After the reign Wilderness Reclamation had in Standard, Modern decks are starting to utilize it as a way to go even bigger than opposing midrange decks. Unlike its Standard counterpart, Sultai Reclamation isn’t committed to maxing out on Wilderness Reclamation to enable a large combo turn; instead, this midrange …

Top 5 Core Set 2021 Cards for Modern

Michael RappModern

With the upcoming release of Core Set 2021, I’m back with my picks for the Top 5 cards in the set Modern. There are a few different criteria that we could use to evaluate these cards: which are the most powerful in a vacuum, or which are most likely to see play? In the end, I felt that talking about …

Should You Still Play Companions in Modern?

Michael RappModern

Wizards of the Coast released a new banned and restricted announcement this week, including updates to the companion mechanic. Effective June 3rd, companion will work as follows: At any time you could cast a sorcery, you may pay three generic mana to put your companion from your sideboard into your hand. This is a special action, not an activated ability; …

Winning in Modern Without a Companion

Michael RappModern

Last week, I covered how each of the companions are succeeding in Modern. But if playing with a companion isn’t something that you’re interested in, I have good news! Ad Nauseam, Eldrazi Tron, and Amulet Titan are all eschewing companions and putting up results regardless. Let’s take a look at what these decks are up to and evaluate why they’ve …

Companions in Modern

Michael RappModern

Editor’s Note: The rules around the companion mechanic have changed. Read our article on companion for the most up-to-date information. Companions are making a splash in Modern just as they are everywhere else. “Splash” is probably even an understatement; Lurrus is nothing short of dominant in the format. But the dreamy feline isn’t the only companion making noise. I took …

Reinventing Grixis Death’s Shadow with Ikoria

Michael RappModern

Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths is certainly leaving a mark on Modern, as the format is being overrun with new companion cards. Midrange decks need to constantly adapt or risk losing metagame share, and Grixis Death’s Shadow is no exception. It’s rare that a single Standard-legal set can have this much of an impact on a deck like Death’s Shadow, or …

Top 5 Ikoria Cards for Modern

Michael RappModern

At long last, it’s time for more new cards! Ikoria: Lair of the Behemoths is now available on digital Magic platforms and preselling at CardKingdom.com, which means we can start planning out what we want to plan in our favorite formats. As with any other set, the first thing I did was look to see which cards would make a …

Modern Horizons is Still Changing Modern

Michael RappModern

Editor’s Note: Two decklists in this article feature Arcum’s Astrolabe, which was banned from Modern on July 13, 2020. Read the full announcement from Wizards of the Coast here. During its preview season last summer, Modern Horizons was met with some criticism from players. It was hailed as “Commander Masters,” and players generally felt the set was underpowered for the …

Modern Without Once Upon a Time

Michael RappModern

On March 9th, Once Upon a Time was banned in Modern. As with any other banning, people had some questions. “What does this mean for my deck?” “What is Modern going to look like now?” Truth be told, those are both excellent and warranted questions. I don’t think a ton of people spend their time pondering how things will look …