Land (24)
Instant (19)
- 2x Archmage's Charm
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2x
Cryptic Command
- 3x Force of Negation
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2x
Mana Leak
- 4x Opt
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4x
Path to Exile
- 2x Spell Snare
Planeswalker (2)
Creature (8)
Artifact (3)
Enchantment (4)
Sideboard
Instant (12)
Planeswalker (1)
Sorcery (2)
FEATURING:
AND
Stoneforge Mystic is the main offensive (and defensive) engine of the deck. The object is to resolve a turn two Stoneforge Mystic, fetch relevant equipment and attack the opponent's life total. Usually, this strategy involves a Batterskull as a turn three 4/4 vigilant lifelinker is enough to stop most aggro decks in their tracks.
Stoneforge Mystic, with only 2 toughness, is vulnerable to any number of removal spells in modern. Due to this reality, the deck plays a number of creatures that not only can hold equipment, but also play towards are interactive and value gameplan. These creatures include other copies of Stoneforge Mystics, Snapcaster Mages, Dragonlord Ojutai, and shark tokens from Shark Typhoon.
He is expensive, and is vulnerable to removal when he's tapped. As a result, many may not consider him to be modern playable. He can be effective on his own, but with the right supporting cast he can really shine. In this list, he synergizes really well with Teferi, Time Raveler. Since Ojutai protects himself when uptapped, Teferi, Time Raveler protects him when we attack in to ensure we can connect. Force of Negation protects him when we tap out to play him.
Dragonlord Ojutai is absolutely great when hold a sword or a Batterskull. These situations may seem hard to believe in a fast and brutal format like modern, but they do come up. You'd be surprised how many times there is a resolved equipment in play and I top deck an Dragonlord Ojutai. While swords give him protection from certain colors, he is almost invincible riding a Batterskull--that's all I want to ever do.
Card is busted
THE LIST:
Counterspells are one of the main ways to interrupt the opponent's gameplan and protect our threats. Therefore, the list contains a variety of counterspells to accomplish this goal, with many of the providing additional utility.
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Logic Knot - This counterspell is the closest thing we will likely get to actual Counterspell in modern. Because I play nine fetches and have a few cheap spells (e.g., Opt), this is typically no problem to cast on curve and has value late game. Two copies as of the three two-mana counterspell slot.
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Mana Leak - two-mana counterspell with limitation. First handful of turns, this card functions as an easier to cast Counterspell, but looses value late game, especially consider we play Path to Exile. It is a necessary evil, as we need counters to survive the early game, but luckily we have better options late game. These can easily be boarded out, match-up dependent, for more relevant counterspells or extra removal. I include this as the third two-mana counterspell.
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Spell Snare - Hard one-mana counterspell for opponent's two drops. Hits Wrenn and Six, Tarmogoyf, Assassin's Trophy, Stoneforge Mystic, Drown in the Loch, and numerous other commonly played modern card. This card helps swing tempo, especially on the draw. Increasing to two copies would certainly be defensible.
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Force of Negation - Our "free" negate, allowing us to tap out and protect outselves. I play a three because this card can protect our Stoneforge Mystics, Dragonlord Ojutai, and our equipment. Also protects us from combo decks like Neobrand and Ad Nauseam.
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Archmage's Charm - Hard counterspell ala Cancel that has two other playable modes. Other than a hard counterspell, the second mode allows us to draw two cards. This helps with card advantage, especially one the opponent's endstep. The third mode allows us to steal a one cmc card from the opponent. Stealing an Aether Vial, Amulet of Vigor or a creature can certainly throw off a gameplan. Great, versatile card.
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Cryptic Command - Hard counterspell that also can draw a card, return permanent to owner's hand or tap opponent's team. One of my favorite cards - it does everything we want to be doing in the game.
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Flusterstorm - Sideboard card used in match-ups where we expect to see Veil of Summer. Has game versus Storm, Ad Nauseam, and other combo decks.
Since we are a control deck in modern, we need to load up on removal in order to survive to the mid-to-late game.
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Path to Exile – Premier unconditional removal spell in modern, and an automatic 4x. Sure, ramping our opponent with a basic land is not ideal, but it is a completely reasonable sacrifice to ensure we get that threat off the board. It is worth noting that Path to Exile draws out our opponent's basic lands, making Ghost Quarter a Strip Mine.
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Celestial Purge - Answer to black and red permanents, comes in from the sideboard against Jund and Junk to deal with Liliana of the Veil and Liliana, the Last Hope amongst others. I like this as another option (after Detention Sphere) to deal with black and/or red planeswalkers, Blood Moon, Bitterblossom Battle Cattle, Zombie Fish, and Banana Kings.
This list has several ways to draw cards.
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Opt – Premier card selection draw spell in modern. Need a land, removal spell, or threat? This card allows us to get into a better situation to win. Great early game as well as late game for that reason. Instant speed is why it is played over Serum Visions
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**Archmage's Charm - One of the modes draws us two cards for card advantage.
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Cryptic Command – One of the modes draws us a card, which helps in the card advantage game plan.
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Shark Typhoon - This card cycles for two mana, and for three or more leaves behind a flying shark token. The cycling feature gives us options in case we need to draw towards land drops or action early in the game.
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Dragonlord Ojutai - He rounds out our card advantage plan and is one of our win conditions. When he hits, he allows us to Anticipate, which provides both card advantage and selection.
One theme of this deck is to disrupt the opponent's mana base and helps us rebuy cards.
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Field of Ruin – Destroys target nonbasic land and replaces it with a basic of the opponent’s choosing, while also not putting us behind a land. Again, great against Urza and creature lands as well as Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle.
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**Mystic Sanctuary - Allows us to rebuy an instant or sorcery spell from the graveyard. The card is listed as an island, which means it is fetchable. Three copies lets us control our draws from relevant cards in our graveyard.
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Dragonlord Ojutai – With 5 power, evasion, and his Anticipate ability, he can end the game quickly
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Batterskull - 4/4 Vigilance Lifelinker
The strengths of playing a two-colored deck is the benefit of a strong and resistant mana base, taking very little damage off the mana base, and the flexibility of playing various utility lands.
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Celestial Colonnade – One of, if not the best, creature lands in the game, which also happens to be in our colors. A 4/4 flyer with vigilance is a great beater in modern.
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Flooded Strand – In color fetch lands. Auto 4x.
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Glacial Fortress - Standard checkland that provides us access to both and . Between the basic lands and dual lands, this one will likely always come into play untapped.
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Minamo, School at Water's Edge – This utility land synergizes nicely with Dragonlord Ojutai. Allows us to untap him to regain hexproof.
Please +1 if you like the list. Feedback is always welcome!
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Revision 139 See all
(4 years ago)
| -1 | Batterskull | side |
| +2 | Dovin's Veto | side |
| -2 |
Flusterstorm
|
side |
| -1 | Mystic Sanctuary | main |
| +1 | Scalding Tarn | main |
| +1 | Teferi, Hero of Dominaria | side |
| Top Ranked |
|
| Date added | 8 years |
| Last updated | 4 years |
| Legality | This deck is not Modern legal. |
| Rarity (main - side) | 7 - 1 Mythic Rares 33 - 0 Rares 5 - 14 Uncommons 8 - 0 Commons |
| Cards | 60 |
| Avg. CMC | 2.78 |
| Tokens | Emblem Teferi, Hero of Dominaria, Phyrexian Germ 0/0 B, Shark X/X U, Soldier 1/1 W |
| Folders | Cool Decks, bodacious decks, modern boys?, Decks to Playtest!!, UW Control Variations, Hannah, Modern |
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