Welcome back for the February 2022 edition of the Modern Tier List! Last week, we had not only the two Modern SCG events, but two MTGO Challenges and a MTGO PTQ to pull data from. We normally don’t get to look at five large tournaments in just one weekend, so we have a much clearer picture of the metagame than we would otherwise.
Before we dive into the list, here’s a quick refresher on the tier list grading criteria:
S Tier: Decks that are above the rest. This is normally the default “best deck in the format” and the deck(s) you should have in mind when building or picking your deck.
A Tier: Decks that are great. These decks are knocking on the door of S Tier, but they may have a small weakness that keeps them out of the upper echelon.
B Tier: Good, solid decks. You wouldn’t be surprised if a B Tier deck takes down an event, but they have bigger weaknesses or liabilities than the decks in A Tier.
C Tier: Decks that are totally fine, but not notable. These decks aren’t exactly tearing up the tournament or ladder scene, but you should expect to face them every now and then.
D Tier: Decks with strong elements, but that generally aren’t great choices compared to the rest of the format.
Modern has had plenty of S-Tier decks in the past, but I don’t currently believe that is the case. Modern is fairly open as far as what decks are competitive, and as such, we don’t have anything in S Tier this time. Similarly, I don’t believe that there are any decks currently in D Tier; most Modern decks are cohesive enough that they land in C Tier. If you want to see how I ranked things last month, you can find that here.
A Tier has grown slightly since last month. Grixis Death’s Shadow, Hammer Time, and Four-Color Yorion separated themselves from the pack last month, and now Izzet Murktide has rejoined their ranks. Two tempo decks, an aggro-combo deck, and a value midrange deck making up the A Tier is a sign of a balanced and healthy metagame.
Hammer
Hammer Time has changed a bit since last month, with the blue version growing in popularity. Hammer has struggled with combo decks in the past, and players initially tried to remedy that by adding Thoughtseize. However, Spell Pierce, Meddling Mage, and Lavinia, Azorius Renegade are also an effective anti-combo suite, and they’re becoming more prominent in Hammer decks of late.
Additionally, The Reality Chip is a new toy from Neon Dynasty that has been showing promise in its first week of legality. I’ve spoken about Hammer’s ability to grind with Urza’s Saga and Lurrus, but The Reality Chip gives the deck another angle of attack. Future Sight is an undeniably powerful card, with an undeniably restrictive mana cost. At just 1U to cast and 2U to reconfigure, The Reality Chip is much more forgiving for a deck that is so heavy in white. Maybe the best part about The Reality Chip is that Stoneforge Mystic can find it, so you only need to play one copy.
While Hammer had a bit of a rough weekend in Philly – only putting four total copies into the top 32 of both Modern events – it put another 17 copies into the top 32 of the three MTGO events. That’s a strong enough performance to solidify its place in A Tier for another month.
Read our guide to Hammer Time!
Grixis Death’s Shadow
Grixis Death’s Shadow has been what many consider to be the deck to beat over the last month. It seems everywhere you look, the deck is putting up results. There haven’t been a ton of changes to the build, though Jund Shadow did make a top 32 appearance in Philly last weekend. I’m still championing Four-Color Death’s Shadow myself, but as long as you have the Death’s Shadow core, you’ll be in a good spot to win games.
Death’s Shadow was the second-most successful deck on the weekend, putting 19 copies into published finishes, including a MTGO challenge win. While Death’s Shadow didn’t get any new tools from Neon Dynasty, it continues to prove itself as a strong A Tier option.
Read our latest Death’s Shadow deck guide!
Murktide
Izzet Murktide has returned to A Tier this month after a strong showing over the last weekend. Publishing a solid 13 results definitely brings it back in line with what I expect from an A Tier deck.
Similarly to Death’s Shadow, Murktide has become a relatively stock list, but there is still a bit of variation to be found. A Temur build splashing for Tarmogoyf and sideboard cards finished in the top 16 in Philly – which makes sense, given how many holes Tarmogoyf plugs for Murktide players. Tarmogoyf blocks well early – something Murktide players don’t usually have the luxury to do. Additionally, it’s easier to play a Tarmogoyf than a Murktide Regent, especially if your opponent is bouncing your permanents with Teferi, Time Raveler. Veil of Summer in the sideboard makes the Death’s Shadow and mirror match-ups easier as well. I’ll be taking the Temur version for a spin for sure!
Read our guide to Izzet Murktide!
Four-Color Yorion
Four-Color Yorion also put up a significant number of finishes over last weekend with 14. One of the deck’s biggest strengths is that it is highly customizable, allowing savvy pilots to tune their deck to whatever the expected meta is. For example, in the last month or so, these decks have dropped some of the slower cards like Eternal Witness in favor of Ragavan. I would expect the premier value midrange deck to keep changing as the meta does, and with such a strong core of cards, the deck will be around for a while to come.
Read our guide to Four-Color Yorion!
B tier has a lot of the same suspects as last month, but I think Jund has the potential to move into A Tier next month given its strong Hammer Time match-up. Boros Crack the Earth is the new hotness which is showing up quite a bit online as people figure it has a good match-up against the land-light tempo decks.
Jund
Jund Saga is still up to the same old Jund business: two-for-ones, cheap but powerful creatures, and removal spells. However, this old dog learned a couple new tricks with the release of Neon Dynasty.
Boseiju, Who Endures is a strong tool for Jund to add to its arsenal. A main deck playable Naturalize that also answers pesky utility lands is already something Jund mages are paying attention to, and on top of that, it’s a land! Channel means that Boseiju will go to the graveyard frequently, which is perfect for Wrenn and Six! Being able to loop Boseiju against decks like Hammer Time and Tron is going to give Jund a ton of equity in those match-ups.
I could also see Jund adding either Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance or Takenuma, Abandoned Mire, because of their synergy with Wrenn and Six. Mythic double-faced cards have taught us that getting a spell-like effect out of a land is extremely powerful.
Crack the Earth
Boros Crack the Earth popped up out of nowhere over the last couple weeks, with multiple Challenge top 8 appearances, including a win! The goal of this deck is to keep your opponent low on lands through Crack the Earth and Boom//Bust. Flagstones of Trokair breaks the symmetry on both of the land destruction effects, turning them into one- and two-mana Stone Rains! Mana Tithe is particularly effective when your opponent is stuck on a small number of lands, making it a smart choice for Crack the Earth. Prismatic Ending and Lightning Bolt are both format staple removal spells to help keep the board clear to make sure Crack the Earth makes the opponent sacrifice a land. Esper Sentinel also punishes opponents for trying to interact while low on lands, which will either set the opponent back, or keep your cards flowing. Ragavan generating Treasures also means that blowing up your lands with Crack the Earth is less costly.
When Modern decks like Death’s Shadow and Murktide play land counts that are in the 18-19 range, cheap land destruction is a great way to attack the metagame!
The Modern metagame continues to take shape, but there is also still a good amount of innovation going on – a sign of a healthy format. As always, I’ll be keeping a close eye on how Modern moves in the coming weeks, so that I can share it all with you folks! You can find me on Twitter at @RappaciousOne for questions and comments. I’ll see everyone right here next week.
Michael Rapp is a Modern specialist who favors Thoughtseize decks. Magic sates his desire for competition and constant improvement.