Grixis Abbot (Modern MTG Deck)

Grixis Abbot

Modern

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Creature (14)

Planeswalker (2)

2x Liliana of the Veil

Land (21)

Instant (12)

Sorcery (11)

Sideboard

Creature (7)

Enchantment (2)

2x Vampiric Link

Artifact (1)

1x Engineered Explosives

Instant (3)

Sorcery (2)

The goal of this deck is to use cheap noncreature spells that either interact with your opponent or dig through your deck to more interaction, fueling delve in the process.

Abbot of Keral Keep wants us to play spells on our own turn, which is why I'm running 0 counterspells. A Remand may be a great tempo play, but we're not looking to trigger prowess on our opponents turn, nor are we wanting to hit it off of Abbot. Therefore, we want great, cheap, powerful noncreature spells that can always attain value in every matchup.

Enter Rise/Fall. This card is a house, and has only not been seeing play due to Grixis decks currently desiring to keep lots of mana up on opponents' turns. When you only want to be keeping Lightning Bolt or maybe a Thought Scour up, you truly don't mind playing two mana sorceries.

Rise is such a ridiculous tempo swing. Not only do you get to bounce an opponent's creature (like a pesky Tarmogoyf or a Gurmag Angler that they already delved for), but you get to return a creature that your opponent already used a removal spell on to your hand. Assuming that happened, then your opponent lost a removal spell and a creature, and you didn't really lose anything.

Fall is, most of the time, Hymn to Tourach for Modern. Decks run very few land, so the chance that your opponent has any land in hand around T4/5 is actually quite low. I've hit Jace, Architect of Thought + Liliana of the Veil one matchup, double Tarmogoyf in another, and Arcbound Ravager + Steel Overseer in another.

Even when you don't have a creature to return or an opposing creature to bounce, this card is still incredibly powerful. And this isn't even counting the times you get to use either Jace, Vryn's Prodigy or Snapcaster Mage to recast the card to lose zero card advantage.

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Modern Tuesday League Championship: 2nd Place, 3-1 — Sept. 29, 2015

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Only 9/15 qualified players showed up for the Championship. Why?? I guess most likely because some were busy or maybe didn't want to play in a free tournament with the only prizes being old promos? Whatever.

Before the event, I made some quick deck changes: -1 Island to go to 20 land, -1 Kolaghan's Command for +1 Electrolyze and +1 Dismember. I did this because I wanted more game against Twin. In the sideboard I went -1 Vandalblast for +1 Darkblast (where I assumed there would be no Amulet of Vigor or Expedition Map but instead lots of X/1 creature strategies), -1 Engineered Explosives and -1 Vampiric Link for +1 Rending Volley and +1 Spellskite, to help the Twin matchup.

ROUND 1: Mardu Mentor, 0-2

I really liked this deck. It was playing Dark Confidant and Monastery Mentor alongside Lightning Bolt, Lightning Helix, Terminate, Path to Exile, Kolaghan's Command, and Lingering Souls to just create this super heavy value game with lots of fliers and prowess. Electrolyze was a house, and by itself kept me in G1 way longer than I should've been in it.

G2 I would have easily taken if he hadn't topdeck'd a Path the turn after I played Inquisition of Kozilek. Big beats.

ROUND 2: Adalberto's Super Burrito, BYE

Delicious burrito, saved half of it for lunch the next day.

ROUND 3: Grixis Twin, 2-1

Game 1 was classic twin. On the play, he main phases a Deceiver Exarch to untap a Steam Vents. Smells like Dispel + Splinter Twin to me. I Inquisition him on T3 and he reveals both of those, some other nonsense, and no land. For the rest of the game I bluff something, either Terminate or Remand (he doesn't know my deck shhhh). But of course, he eventually Twin's with counter backup (I assume), and I didn't have anything all game.

In sideboarding, he cuts the combo for more controlling elements. Not the best option in my opinion. His deck was very threat light, so when he did resolve an Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver or Jace, Architect of Thought, I very easily dispatched it with bolts or kolaghan's command or whatever creature was in play. Both games were a grind, but were essentially the same. Eventually he won't have Remand + Snapcaster Mage and this Gurmag Angler will resolve. If you kill it, I will just Kolaghan's Command it back to my hand and continue. G3 went to time and I just beat the last 3 life out with 2 hits from snapcaster.

ROUND 4: Elves, 2-0

This guy ended up winning the whole tourney (tiebreakers man), but these games didn't even feel close. G1 was a little ridiculous:

T1 Serum Visions, pass

T2 Jace, Vryn's Prodigy ^Flip, pass

T3 Lightning Bolt his Elvish Archdruid, Thought Scour myself, loot with Jace, Vryn's Prodigy ^Flip, tick up Jace, Telepath Unbound ^Flip on Nettle Sentinel, play Gurmag Angler leaving Lightning Bolt + Snapcaster Mage in the yard, pass.

Kept ticking jace up until I needed to flashback a bolt or some other burn spell. Easy game. G2 I rode on the back of Electrolyze + Snapcaster Mage to decimate his mana dorks, leaving him to actually have to tap out for threats like Elvish Archdruid, which would just get bolted. Got a little awkward when he responded to an Inquisition of Kozilek with a Chord of Calling for 0...and failed to find a Dryad Arbor since he sided it out. That allowed me to get rid of most of his board at my own pace, taking an Ezuri, Renegade Leader with the inquisition.

All in all, great performance for the deck. I do miss the free wins Twin would get, but controlling matchups are so much easier to navigate now. I loved maindeck Electrolyze and always have, so I think I'll keep it here, even if it can be a bit awkward with Abbot of Keral Keep as another expensive spell. Dismember I'm not so sure about. It was okay, but I hardly ever drew it, and I didn't really play matchups where it would be bonkers either (Tasigur or Tarmogoyf decks).

I was very impressed with Kolaghan's Command for grindier matches. I would like access to a 3rd copy, probably in the sideboard for matches where Rise / Fall isn't great, like the Grixis Control matchup.

Less than impressed with Leyline of the Void. It's great on T0, but significantly worse any other time. Nihil Spellbomb, on the other hand, is great in the same matchups, but can actually snip big graveyards after they're huge if it doesn't hit T0. Drawing a card against controlling graveyard decks would also be huge too, so I think this is going to change to be my GY hate of choice for awhile.

As I was driving home, I thought to myself "This deck could really use a couple other planeswalkers as hard to deal with threats like Jace, Vryn's Prodigy ^Flip. But it'd have to be low CMC to slot in with Abbot. Maybe Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver, since that seemed good and I can't really think of any other low CMC walkers in my colors-

oh.

oh wait.

Liliana of the Veil.

god damnit."

Modern Tuesday League Week 12: 1-2 Drop — Sept. 22, 2015

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Modern Tuesday League Week 10: 4th Place, 4-1 — Sept. 8, 2015

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Date added	9 years
Last updated	9 years
Key combos	Jace, Architect of Thought + Liliana of the Veil Arcbound Ravager + Steel Overseer
Legality	This deck is Modern legal.
Rarity (main - side)	10 - 0 Mythic Rares 23 - 10 Rares 14 - 3 Uncommons 9 - 2 Commons
Cards	60
Avg. CMC	2.38
Tokens	Emblem Jace, Vryn's Prodigy
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