What archetype should I start with to get into modern?
Modern forum
Posted on Jan. 20, 2014, 12:05 a.m. by thataddkid
So I've been playing lots of standard recently and am a little disappointed with how limited the meta is (MBD, MUD, Esper or losing record). After reading a complexity ladder article (linked at the bottom) I decided that to up my general skill in magic I need to expand my field and standard isn't skill-intensive enough. I'm looking to make a good modern deck that can be built on a budget of 100$-300$. I know some very cheap burn and infect decks can be built but honestly, blazing-aggro is becoming stale for me and goes against my idea of expanding my skillset. I've looked at some lists and figured out the archetypes I'm most interested are the following.
-U/W/R Control
-U/R Splinter Twin
-Reanimator
-Scavenge
-Anything Delver
Basically anything that has elements of interaction, I'd like to play. Combo, control, midrange, whatever. I've never played true control though, so full on control might be too big of a step for me especially because I'm unfamiliar with fast formats and modern archetypes. If you guys could help me choose an archetype within my budget and explain how to play it and why I'd really appreciate it. Thank you!
(http://www.starcitygames.com/article/27736_The-Complexity-Climb.html)
PrimeSpeaky says... #3
It isn't really listed in your short list of archetypes that would like to play, but RG tron is a very good deck and also somewhere between 300-400 I believe to put together, sideboard and all. It plays somewhat like a control deck in that it attempts to minimize the things that its opponent can actually do. It does so by capitalizing on large colorless spells that majorly impact a board state and slamming them starting turn 3-4, things like Wurmcoil Engine and Karn Liberated .
Now that I've thrown my two-cents in, Splinter Twin is also quite the force to be reckoned with in modern as a combo deck. Since you listed it I'm fairly certain you understand how it works and why you might play it so I won't bother getting into that. As for budget constraints, I believe it should fit your budget son long as you skip on the fetch lands.
The hard thing about playing Ux or Uxx anything in modern is you really come to rely on your fetch lands, thus making it hard to play these decks on a budget.
January 20, 2014 12:21 a.m.
thataddkid says... #4
Yeah, I'm noticing that tier 1 decks without the fetches come waaaaay down in price. I know the deck won't be as effective as it could be if I were to run fetches, but the price isn't worth such a hard to notice effect.
Anyways, can you link me to a good R/G tron list? Thanks for the suggestion and I'd be open to playing it after you explained it to me.
January 20, 2014 12:28 a.m.
PrimeSpeaky says... #5
(Here)[http://mtgtop8.com/event?e=6491&d=237235] is a pretty basic list of what RG Tron looks like.
Yeah, the price can drive some people away from them entirely, I would still say picking them up over time is just well worth the investment, and makes all the difference in a lot of games. They just interact too well with things like Tarmogoyf and Deathrite Shaman as well as providing a shuffle + deck thinning effect.
January 20, 2014 12:33 a.m.
PrimeSpeaky says... #6
I'm bad at this linking thing apparently lol. Lets try that again.
January 20, 2014 12:35 a.m.
miracleHat says... #7
mon blue tron is also an option. i was able to build one that was under $200 and consistently beat jund. tip, if you run tron, you must run All Is Dust ; that card is boss.
January 20, 2014 12:44 a.m.
UWR lists seem bad for the most part, though the GP Prague top 8 list is sexy
Solid choice, easy to pilot, but still has lots of decision points
I don't recommend it, very bad in modern
NO
Would be my top choice. There's Woo Blue, UR aggro (see GP prague top 8), UR Fae (similar to the previous, but - pyromancers + Spellstutter Sprite , and RUG (basically UR + $$$)
January 20, 2014 12:44 a.m.
thataddkid says... #9
Just to clarify, the deck isn't supposed to be a breeze to pilot. I want to expand my skillset beyond aggro and I want a challenging deck to help me get better.
Anyways, I'm trying the list you gave me PrimeSpeaky and it's working very well against Jund. However, I'm not quite sure what to do when I've got Karn Liberated out. Do I exile like a mad-man until the game turns away from my favor or just head straight to his ultimate?
January 20, 2014 1:02 a.m.
PrimeSpeaky says... #10
@Blakkhand Not sure why you think UWR is bad. Having piloted the deck myself and watched it stomp over Jund, Robots, both Pod decks, and UR twin I would say it is most definitely a force to be reckoned with within the realms of modern. After watching the finals of GP Prague earlier I was actually disappointed by a fair amount of plays from the UWR player. I think he could have made a few better calls myself, but that may just be me. As for your other bits of analysis I would pretty much agree. Reanimator as a win con is too easily disrupted, Scavenge style builds have the same issue and Delver is pretty cool. Though I would argue UWR delver eats Rug alive with access to Geist of Saint Traft and the Path to Exile s. That being said I play BUG Delver with Shadow of Doubt and Abrupt Decay =D
January 20, 2014 1:06 a.m.
PrimeSpeaky says... #11
It depends on board state thataddkid. You're not really going for the ult usually with Karn, he's more of a removal spell. Or in the case of turn 3 Karn, a Molten Rain that can be recurred in theory.
January 20, 2014 1:08 a.m.
UWR Control is a strong archetype when you understand what you're up against. Think of it as something to work towards, but not necessarily start with. It is also a deck where literally every seemingly trivial decision you make may have a huge impact on the game later down the line, so if that intimidates you then beware.
Tron is a really fun deck to play. It's one of those decks that is control but not in the traditional sense, so you don't need as much knowledge of the meta to build and pilot it. You also get to play with cards that have raw power: Karn Liberated , Wurmcoil Engine , Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre , Emrakul, the Aeons Torn .
Twin is doing well lately, I'm actually building a Twin deck right now. Solid choice.
The closest thing to a traditional reanimator deck in Modern is a Living End based deck, and those are seeing a pretty big resurgence these days. Very possible to build it without the fetches or shocks, and a competitive list will only set you back around $200 which is really good for a deck that is debatabley tier 1 (I consider it a high 1.5).
Delver of Secrets Flip is considered by most people to be too weak for modern, but you can build a strong deck around it. I would check out your local meta before attempting to build around it. If there are a lot of decks running red in your area, I wouldn't try it. I played a UWR aggro deck with Delver of Secrets Flip , Steppe Lynx (needs fetches) and Geist of Saint Traft , and it did really well in my area.
January 20, 2014 1:19 a.m.
NerdPounder says... #13
As far as the UWR argument goes, just look at the last Modern World Championship, over half the top 8 field was playing it. It actually won against Reid Duke's Hexproof deck, which was considered a nigh-unwinnable matchup.
As far as fun archetypes go, Hexproof decks are fun and cheap but require little interaction outside of knowing when it is okay to play your auras on a Kor Spiritdancer and knowing when to mulligan.
January 20, 2014 1:24 a.m.
infinitemana says... #14
If you're interested in reanimator, there are some esper control decks that use Gifts Ungiven to search out Unburial rights+Iona, Shield of Emeria or some other fatty, and then send both to the graveyard to reanimate. It's susceptible to graveyard hate, but if you run it in a control shell, hardcasting a big dude is a solid plan B.
January 20, 2014 10:33 a.m.
I personally pilot U/W/R geist and love it. It is demanding to pilot and has a lot of good interaction. However, a well built UWR deck will run closer to 700-800 as you need fetches to make your mana base consistent enough.
January 20, 2014 10:52 a.m.
I agree, the Pro Tour UWR was definitely a deck I could get behind, but it has been something of a rarity. A lot of the UWR just lacked the ability to close out the game quickly, allowing some opponents to just win games they should have just lost. The old version also just straight up lost to a Vedalken Shackles , a giest, or a liliana most of the time. The giests make it so much better.
January 20, 2014 1:12 p.m.
NerdPounder says... #17
Thundermaw Hellkite is a good finisher out of the board they use as well, it's pretty devastating. That lets them finish out the game especially in a mirror match.
thataddkid says... #2
I forgot to mention, is there a tool for finding modern events in my local area? Thanks again!
January 20, 2014 12:10 a.m.