A Wizened Wizard’s Clerical Error

Modern UBR (Grixis)

Balaam__

Land (20)

• 8x Island
• 4x Mountain
• 4x Scalding Tarn
• 4x Steam Vents

Creature (12)

• 4x Delver of Secrets  ^Flip
• 4x Snapcaster Mage
• 4x Wildfire Eternal

Instant (14)

• 4x Lightning Bolt
• 4x Mana Leak
• 4x Remand
• 2x Searing Wind

Enchantment (2)

• 2x Aqueous Form

Sorcery (12)

• 2x Distortion Strike
• 4x Slip Through Space
• 4x Sorin's Vengeance
• 2x Sundering Stroke

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Sideboard

Instant (8)

• 4x Dismember
• 4x Surgical Extraction

Artifact (3)

• 3x Whispersilk Cloak

Sorcery (4)

• 4x Void Snare

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Maybeboard

Sorcery (3)

• 1x Distortion Strike
• 1x Time Stretch
• 1x Volcanic Vision

Creature (4)

• 4x Efreet Flamepainter

Instant (1)

• 1x Flame of Anor

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If someone could recommend what hubs (if any) this deck falls under, that would be helpful.

This build began as a Pauper format deck, but gradually turned into what you see today. It’s a fairly straightforward deck that I find fun to play, with enough control and strategic elements to keep things interesting.

The Mana Base

• Steam Vents is always a nice Turn 1 play, opening up both color options.

• Scalding Tarn allows us to fetch the color we need.

• Island s for blue mana, and just enough Mountain s to cover our only 2 real red spells.

Control

The deck is designed to hit hard starting Turn 4, so until then we need to keep some semblance of control to allow an opening. To that end let’s review a few spells included specifically to buy time.

• Mana Leak is essentially a guaranteed counterspell if played in the opening few turns. Use this to stop potential obstacles from ever materializing.

• Remand can stave off a bad situation just long enough to stay afloat, and it replaces itself too—always nice.

• Lightning Bolt acts as traditional creature removal, but don’t be surprised to find yourself using it as a finisher too. Cheap and versatile!

Unplayable in Modern

So normally you’d be laughed out of your LGS if you sat down and legitimately expected to play the following cards in Modern.

• Searing Wind deals a massive 10 points of damage to the opponent...for an exorbitant mana cost. This card is the bullet shot into the side of the above ground mana pool.

• Sorin's Vengeance seems like an improvement over the previous card; at least you can gain a huge chunk of life back in addition to high damage output. Too bad the cmc is eye-wateringly high—and off color to boot!

• Sundering Stroke gives you some nice options, for a steep mana cost. Yikes.

If you don’t know by now, we’re not hardcasting these. Read on a bit later and their inclusion won’t seem so preposterous after all...

Wizened Wizards

Each of our creatures brings something valuable to the table.

• Delver of Secrets   is just begging for that Turn 1 play. Picture him rubbing his little feelers together like the bug on Family Guy, “Good...Good...”. It’s quite likely that he’ll flip by Turn 2, what with there being 24 Instants and Sorceries in the deck.

• Snapcaster Mage is rather pricey, but if you happen to own a set there really isn’t any reason not to include him. His ETB effect can extend the time that can be bought to stall, should a string of particularly sour draws occur.

A Clerical Error

The lynchpin of the deck, everything revolves around the following creature in one way or another. We’re either buying time to play it, buffing it once it’s afield, or else using it to the full.

• Wildfire Eternal is the cleric in question. A spiffy 1/4 with some killer stats, this card needs to hit the table Turn 4. Once in play, the strategy is to buff it using the fast-acting (and long-lasting!) Writ of Passage . Both bestow unblockability, guaranteeing we can reap the benefits of the bottom portion of the cleric’s rules text.

By this time we ought to have at least one high power direct damage spell in hand and ready to go, and now one casts for free each time Wildfire Eternal attacks. A couple turns outputting 10+ damage and it’s pretty much over.

TL;DR

•Buy time with counterspells, recasting them with help from Snapcaster Mage if necessary.

•Play Wildfire Eternal , then follow up next turn by making him unblockable with Artful Dodge or Writ of Passage and attack.

Update Aqueous Form and Slip Through Space have replaced Writ of Passage . Thanks to user enpc for the great suggestions.

•Once the opponent either chose not to (?) or wasn’t able to block, play a high power direct damage spell for free from your hand. Repeat this process until victory is achieved.

The Sideboard

I only just completed this deck, so right now the sideboard is mostly cards that I was considering maindecking but decided against. I suppose a proper sideboard would consist of the usual fare; extra removal, graveyard hate and meta specific stuff. I’m not the greatest at sideboards so I’m open to suggestions.

”...Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and the magic-practicing priests of Egypt...”

Top Ranked	Achieved #23 position overall 1 year ago Achieved #19 position in Modern 1 year ago Achieved #1 position in Modern UBR (Grixis) 3 years ago
Date added	3 years
Last updated	1 year
Legality	This deck is Modern legal.
Rarity (main - side)	4 - 0 Mythic Rares 20 - 4 Rares 10 - 7 Uncommons 14 - 4 Commons
Cards	60
Avg. CMC	2.90
Folders	WOW!!!, Modern, Fun Deck To Try