The State of Brewing in Modern (June-July 2022)

Season 14, Episode 22: Modern State of the Format + Picks of the Week

Two weeks ago, WotC declared Modern healthy and functioning as intended. No deck has too large of a meta share, the most popular deck (Izzet Murktide) is beatable, and plenty of people still succeed with their brews.

But at high level Modern tournaments, the top tables tell a different story. Three archetypes duel for dominance: the best control deck (4c Good Stuff), the best disruptive tempo teck (currently Izzet Murktide), and the best combo deck (currently Living End). It is a rock-paper-scissors dynamic that lesser decks struggle to disrupt.

Today on Faithless Brewing we put Modern under the microscope and dig into the top decks. Morde has been crushing with 4c Midrange lately (including a Top 32 finish in the Showcase Challenge two weeks ago) and shares his insights into the delirium package, the Elementals package, the importance of Wrenn and Six, and the strategy’s inherent variance. At the same time, other players have turned to big mana combos like RG TitanShift and alternative tempo shells like Grixis Ledger Shredder (formerly Grixis Death’s Shadow) to attack the format.

Finally, for the brewers at heart, we look at six under the radar decks that have recently found success in MTGO leagues. The rogue strategies pair forgotten classics like Vendilion Clique, Serum Powder, and Frantic Inventory with surprising new tech like Experimental Synthesizer, Michiko’s Reign of Truth, and Haktos the Unscarred. There’s still plenty of space to innovate in Modern if you are willing to brew outside the box!

 

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Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com

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S14E22 Decklists and Timestamps

[3:32] Housekeeping

Modern State of the Format: The Top Tier

[6:14] The best cards in Modern right now

[9:43] 4c Midrange vs Izzet Murktide vs Living End

[12:08] When does a brew become a tier deck?

[17:41] The Elementals package vs traditional 4c Midrange

[21:32] The delirium package: Traverse the Ulvenwald, Emrakul, + Unholy Heat

[26:15] Can any ban hurt 4c Midrange?

[30:38] Wrenn and Six is the most important card

[36:05] RG TitanShift: a deck to slay Omnath

[39:08] Grixis Death’s Shadow

[43:36] Dealing with variance in Yorion decks

The State of Brewing: Spicy Lower Tier Decklists

[49:25] Mono Blue Tempo ft. Vendilion Clique

[51:57] Colorless Prison Tron ft. Serum Powder

[55:42] Shrapnel Red ft. Experimental Synthesizer

[57:37] Dreadnought Affinity ft. Michiko’s Reign of Truth

[1:01:31] Next Level Blue Moon ft. Frantic Inventory

[1:05:51] Mardu Ice Nine Special ft. Haktos the Unscarred

[1:09:45] Bant Soulherder

[1:13:53] Concluding thoughts