Thanks Mortiferus_Rosa, glad you like it. I feel it the same way. I think that modern is a format that has plenty of things to offer and is worth playing, but the prices of decks are getting ridiculously high in the past few months.

Sure, no problem. Celestial Flare is here because hexproof strategies are one of the most problematic decks for this deck. It is a pure race in the first game and that is not convenient. But Celestial Flare offers an elegant way how to kill the opponent's creature and those hexproof strategies don't usually recover quickly enough to still be a problem.

Cliffrunner Behemoth can be sideboarded in as a secondary win condition. When your opponents become familiar with the deck you play, they might be quite prepared to dodge the deck and without secondary win condition, the deck you play might not be able to win. Cliffrunner Behemoth is quite a big body for a reasonable mana cost, is price-wise, can be protected with the protection spells and is able to beat the opponent pretty quickly.

End Hostilities was suggested by Slowyourroll and I have to agree with that card. Sometimes the combo might not show up early enough and the deck can be overwhelmed. End Hostilities offer a way how to get an extra time to dig for the combo.

Naturalize is here because there always is a problematic enchantments or artifact that you want to get rid of.

Pacifism is here as an additional removal against aggro decks, but it can be replaced by anything else.

Soul Warden and Suture Priest are here against token strategies. Suture Priest can beat those strategies just by itself and Soul Warden helps to stay alive.

Tormod's Crypt is here against any graveyard strategies. For example, a friend of mine has a really nice self-mill deck with some cards that benefit from huge graveyard. The Crypt is here to help beat those strategies.

Hope I explained my choices detailed enough.

Plenty and many thanks. I had guessed on most of the cards but the Cliffrunner Behemoth was eluding me. Sounds to me that it is the most flexible of your sideboard cards (in that you can really put your creature of choice there).

Cliffrunner Behemoth can be replaced by literally anything. It is here because modern has taught me to not rely on my combo after sideboarding as many decks are so prepared that you simply cannot beat them with your combo. Therefore I usually try to include another win-con in the sideboard and Cliffrunner Behemoth is price-wise and usually has lifelink and has quite a big body for 4 mana. But you can put anything in its place.

Cool combo! However, if you use Elemental Mastery with Midnight Guard its a kill without even needing the Altar of the Brood. It costs a bit more, but I think its worth it to make it a 1 card combo. If you'd like to look into this, check out this deck I build around the combo. It runs Intruder Alarm too for more win cons, but that's not needed.

Midnight Mastery (Budget Control Combo)

Just wondering, would you mind if i copied this deck and try to make it three colours.

@BanjoPlayingHorse: The problem with Elemental Mastery is that it is completely impossible to win against Soul Sisters deck and anything that permanently weaken tokens is the end of all hopes as well (for example Illness in the Ranks is deadly for the mastery). Those decks that are capable of stopping an infinite army of tokens do not care if those tokens are produced by Elemental Mastery or Presence of Gond, in other words, if those tokens have haste or not. This is why the Altar of the Brood is included as it solves all of the problems at once.

@_bob555: No problem, go on! :)

Good point. I might sideboard in Altar of the Brood in my deck. Still I would only even put it in the sideboard, because most decks would only even sideboard token destruction.

Wonderful! +1 upvote

I've been looking at this deck for a while and as a relatively new player to Magic I was wondering how many shocklands/fetchlands you suggest in this deck. I noticed you had Razorverge Thicket, Temple Garden, and Windswept Heath all in your suggested out-of-budget lands, and I wasn't sure how many per deck I should be putting in of any of them. Thanks :)

In the short term, Lignify might give you a more versatile Pacifism. Turning off abilities is another control option.

@carpeomniaurum: Well, most of the decks follow the rule 'the more, the better' and it is not otherwise in here. Mana fixation is one of the most important aspects of a magic deck as you want to be sure to always have access to the right colors. And since you say you are a new player: do not hesitate to invest money into lands. They are the core of all modern decks and once you have good land base, none of the decks you will later switch to will be that expensive.

@brambleman: Lignify seems super interesting and I am a big fan of that suggestion. I will switch those two cards immediately. Thanks!

add Soul Warden, it would be so helpful to have infinite life.

Oh please do not tell me that a 20 dollar combo gives you infinite tokens! :O

might stretch the budget a bit, but maybe Vines of Vastwood over Ranger's Guile? the ability to hit an opponents creature and have them not get their own splinter twin or a pump spell from an infect deck might make a difference

also for sideboards, unless you are running into an equipment heavy meta, would Day of Judgment be better on the curve than End Hostilities?

have you any response for lantern control?

Well, if they happen to Surgical Extraction away the Presence of Gond/Midnight Guard, then this deck is pretty much dead and there is not much we can do about it. This can be prevented from happening by sideboarding in the Tormod's Crypt and in case they target a piece of the combo in the graveyard, we can let the Extraction fizzle by Crypting away our graveyard. Relic of Progenitus would be even better for that strategy. Otherwise, Ensnaring Bridge should not be a big problem thanks to Oblivion Ring and Altar of the Brood. Sure, then they can also cast Abrupt Decay on the Presence of Gond, but that is a problem that this deck may encounter even in other match-ups and there are ways how to search a missing combo piece. Have I answered your question?

Hmm... probably not :)

I played this deck no more than 15 times so I am not a expert but - u should have in sideboard some artifact hate, for example Stony Silence. It disable this deck pretty well + every tron and maybe a little affinity (not sure, but probaby only cranial plate, so its still worth)

Sure, you can put in Stony Silence, I even mentioned it in the possible non-budget sideboard options, but even 2 copies would cost as a half of this entire deck :D In the description I wrote that I don't want the $20 price tag rise by much and this wish, or rule if you want, to be kept. And I am not aware of any budget-friendly efficient sideboard option against artifact strategies. But if you are aware of any, I welcome any and all suggestions :)

ahh oke... fogot this price :(

It this a casual-like deck, or one that can compete at the FNM level. It's soooo cool! Definitely a +1 from me! :)

It definitely is a casual deck, no argue on that. But I think that it could be a worthy opponent to many much more competitive decks and can do well at an FNM. Thanks for the +1 and I'm more than glad that you like it!

Gud dec, but needs coat of arms. How do you expect to deal damage with 1/1 tiny elves? Also, if you use foreign cards that people don't know about, you can say that when you cast them, you win the game. That's how I do well at tournaments. Otherwise, keep brewing, looks sweet.

Not sure if you are trolling or not, but I suppose that an infinitely large army of those tiny 1/1 elves that this deck is capable of producing should be enough to seal the deal :D And if you are really doing that at tournaments.. well..