Article MTGO Modern Breakdown: Rakdos Midrange and Broodscale Combo split 10 of 24 Challenges, Devoted Combo wins Singapore, Jeskai Energy takes the Showcase

60 Upvotes

Welcome to the 42nd week of 2026. As usual, it brings our traditional metagame overview, and since the RC season is in full swing, today I'm once again presenting a breakdown of what's happening online and in the physical format. This weekend featured the Southeast Asia Regional Championship, so that's what we'll focus on. Similar to last week, due to some confusion with deck names, since Rakdos Midrange has also joined Broodscale, even though it's actually an aggro deck, I'm not providing win-loss records. This will change soon, as the project to assign and name decks is almost complete; only a few validations remain. So this is one of the last summaries from the old pipeline, but you'll be able to read the full list of changes, as well as what the metagame really looks like, especially on MTGO, in a separate article I'm slowly working on. In the meantime, I invite you to read on.

As is now tradition, those who want a summary are welcome to check out my video recap, and for those who prefer illustrations, there's a version on Substack. Also, I post daily on X about the Modern meta, the Challenge League, and other things I find interesting from my perspective.

TL;DR

Rakdos Midrange 5 trophies, all from 2 pilots, rastaf gets 3, and komattaman win 2
Broodscale Combo 5 trophies from 5 pilots, share goes down from 20% to 15% to 12% over three constitutive windows.
Prowess Top32 23/24, but conversion only 15%, against 3 of 8 Showcase Top 8 seats
Graveyard conv 35%, second of seven, 0 trophies from 19 Top 8 entries, so GY decks still struggle.
RC Southeast Asia: Rakdos Delirium 2nd and 3rd, Devoted Combo takes the trophy

Regional Championship Southeast Asia, paper event, separate pool

Regional Championship Southeast Asia, Singapore EXPO, Modern, 17 to 18 October 2026, 182 players
8 rounds of Swiss, Top 8 single elimination
winner pamkung on Devoted Combo, 9-1-1, including the playoff
Final 2-1 over Moonsteak on Rakdos Delirium
Top 8 by deck: Rakdos Delirium 2, Broodscale Combo 2, Devoted Combo 1, Reanimator 1, Izzet Prowess 1, Living End 1
Top 32 by deck: Broodscale Combo 5, Boros Aggro 4, Rakdos Delirium 3
Broodscale Bloodchief most Top 32 slots, 5 of 32, no finalist
Rakdos Delirium 3 Top 32 slots, 2 of them in the final two places
Boros Aggro 4 Top 32 slots, 0 Top 8
5c Domain Aggro 2 Top 32 slots, best finish 9th to 16th
Top 8 pass rate for the field 8 of 182, 4,4%

This window in numbers

24 Challenges, 4 tiers: C32 x13, C16 x6, C64 x3, C96 x2
744 Top 32 entries, C16 fields of 24 to 38 players
Universe A 22 decks, Universe B 45 decks, so we can see that off-meta decks are at an advantage
field medians: delta +63,0pp, conversion 24,7%
6 Challenge Overperformers: Affinity, Amulet Titan, Broodscale Combo, Living End, Rakdos Midrange, Ruby Storm
24 trophies, 13 different decks, 21 different pilots
1 premier event, Showcase Challenge on 17 October, counted separately
win rates withdrawn for the second window running

Combo

The biggest archetype in Modern is starting to lose ground; the meta has learned that to beat combo decks, you have to be fast and aggressive, and such decks are appearing more and more often. The lower number of wins by combo decks translates into a decline in their popularity, and players are starting to play something else. This is great news, confirming that the lack of bans was a good outcome. The meta regulates itself naturally.

Broodscale Combo

Broodscale is starting to lose ground; it's the main target of attacks and is the "deck to beat" in all of Modern. As you can see, these attacks are effective because its popularity is declining. Nevertheless, Broodscale hasn't lost its edge and isn't giving up, it still has a very good win rate and has won as many as five trophies in challenges. It also seems that the deck's decline in popularity might be due to the specter of a ban hanging over it, but I'm still betting on the first reason. Especially since people are still renting decks on MTGO, and the specter of a ban doesn't really affect the online meta that much. Every trophy won by Broodscale comes from a different player, so it's a broad, non-specialized deck. This demonstrates its strength.

Ruby Storm

Ruby Storm is doing great and has secured second place in the archetype. It's a very strong build, as evidenced by its results, but unlike Broodscale, it's a rather niche deck, as shown by the number of players using it. Nevertheless, its single trophy and excellent conversion rate have earned Storm a well-deserved "Overperformer" badge.

Devoted Combo

Devoted Combo is currently ranked third in the archetype, and despite a decent win rate, it hasn't won any online trophies. However, it did win this weekend's RC, which shows that the deck has potential and can perform well at a major tournament. Following this victory, the deck's popularity may spike in the coming week.

P.S.: Just like in previous weeks, Combo is the most diverse archetype, and several other decks are performing very well besides the top three:

Titan Amulet: meta 3.1%, Top 32 16/24, Top 8 6/24, 0 trophies, conv 30%, delta +63.6 pp, Overperformer 5th,

Neobrand: meta 1.7%, Top 32 12/24, Top 8 3/24, 0 trophies, conv 23%, delta +48.2 pp.

Indomitable Creativity: meta 1,1%, Top32 5/24, Top8 0/24, conv 0%, delta +19,8pp, replaced Belcher in sixth place

Aggro

Aggro is doing great; unfortunately, this week's results are a bit skewed by the confusion surrounding Rakdos, but as I mentioned, I'll fix that soon. In the meantime, dear reader, keep in mind that Rakdos is Aggro, not Midrange. The archetype itself has six trophies to its name, more than Combo, though the conversion rate is quite low. Strangely enough, Prowess is skewing this figure, but more on that below; Robots, on the other hand, are performing really well.

Prowess

Prowess has lost its spot as the format's second-most-played deck and currently ranks third with a 7% meta share. The deck hasn't been performing particularly well lately; one trophy and a 15% win rate fall well short of expectations. While Prowess did have a successful showing at the Showcase, which might suggest that the issue isn't necessarily with the deck itself but rather with the players piloting it (I've long maintained that it's a difficult deck to play), one tournament isn't enough. Prowess definitely isn't having an easy time of it now that the very fast and aggressive Rakdos has emerged, and Broodscale isn't an easy matchup for the deck either. So after a string of successes for Prowess, tougher times are ahead…. And that's a good thing, because it shows the meta is healthy, no decks are dominating, and we have some nice dynamics instead.

Affinity

On the other hand, this deck, which was written off as doomed to extinction on Reddit a while back, is performing exceptionally well in this meta, which isn't all that surprising when you consider just how explosive this deck can be. It has a brilliant conversion rate: about one-third of entries into the T32 end up in the T8. That's truly impressive, and in the case of this build, we can't attribute it to a small-scale effect. The deck has also won three trophies from three different players, so, just like with Broodscale, the build isn't leaning toward specialization. Nevertheless, the Robots continue their winning streak for another week in a row.

Jeskai Energy

This time, it wasn't Boros but Jeskai Energy that jumped to third place in the archetype. These decks are very similar to each other; they follow slightly different strategies. Jeskai is more of a grind, while Boros leans more toward aggro. This time, players put more faith in Jeskai. This resulted in one trophy and a win rate above the median. I wonder what will happen next week.

P.S.: As I mentioned above, Boros is very, very close to its tricolor counterpart and is practically an identical metashate, with slightly lower conversion and, like Jeskai, one trophy.

Boros Energy: meta 4,3%, Top32 20/24, Top8 6/24, 1 Trophy, conv 22%, delta +79,0pp, Neutral.

Graveyard

Grave-based decks are still struggling; despite their high win rate, they haven't won a single trophy. The reasons are the same as they were a week ago: if you want to play a Grave deck in a meta where the top deck runs 4 copies of GY Hat in the main deck, don't expect it to be easy.

Living End

Living End has an extremely high conversion rate to T8, but no trophies. Keep in mind, however, that players often split the prizes in finals, which is why the deck doesn't officially win a trophy. I'm not able to track every such instance, which is why I don't officially report this number. I do know, however, that MeninoNey, the main player of this deck in the Challenges, split at least one Challenge final. Besides, as I mentioned, the deck has a tough time against both very fast Rakdos, which runs Thoughtseize in its main deck, and very fast Broodscale. It's encouraging, though, that LE has returned to a very high conversion, and the trophy will surely appear soon, especially if it maintains such a strong presence in the T8.

Goryo's Vengeance

Goryo's is no longer the most popular deck in the archetype and has barely a 2% share of the meta, and… a very high conversion. The deck performs exceptionally well in Swiss because its low meta share and high win rate suggest that it's played by people who are very familiar with it and aren't easily outplayed. However, once it reaches T8, the deck hits a wall in the form of decks that are simply very difficult to beat, and the players piloting them don't know the matchups perfectly and aren't easily caught off guard.

Grixis Reanimator

Grixis is holding onto third place, at the 1% meta mark, and that's really all there is to say. Its conversion rate is at the median, and it has no trophies. The deck faces the same issues as the archetype as a whole.

Midrange

Midrange, like Aggro, has had its stats skewed by Rakdos this week. Despite that, however, the archetype is doing okay. If we subtract 5 trophies from Rakdos, that leaves two for pure Midrange, which is a really good result. It may not be quite as good as last time, when Zoo had a great week, but it's still a really solid result.

Rakdos Midrange

The hottest topic of this window is Rakdos, a very explosive deck with a brilliant 35% conversion rate and 5 trophies, the same as Broodscale. However, there's a small catch here. While in Broodscale, players were spread out among the trophies; here we see a concentration of two players: Rastaf (3) and komattaman (2). But even if we exclude these two excellent players, the deck still boasts a 30% conversion rate (!), which, given its 10% share of the metagame, is an impressive result, to say the least. Additionally, while the aforementioned players won trophies, the deck's presence in the Top 8 is much more widespread. The deck fits perfectly into the meta, as Rastaf mentioned in an interview. Does it have weaknesses? Definitely GY hate in the form of Rest in Peace, which can shut down the deck completely, though it has Thoughtseize to prevent that.

What's more, it not only performs exceptionally well on MTGO but also demonstrates its strength at the Asian Regional Championships. This isn't good news for GY decks, as there will now be significantly more GY hate. But if the deck is vulnerable to GY hate, why does it perform so well in a meta where Broodscale reigns supreme? Well, it's because a one-time Exile GY doesn't shut down this deck or its aggressive strategy; the deck can play around it. RiP, on the other hand, permanently shuts down the graveyard, and that's the problem.

Domain Zoo

After a great run, Zoo has become quite popular, with its share of the finish line jumping to nearly 6%, one of the highest figures in recent times, however, anyone who thinks Zoo is an easy deck to play is mistaken, as evidenced by its fairly low conversion rate, a fact I attribute to the large number of players who lack experience with the deck and to the fact that Zoo has several variants, each with a different game plan. I often see on Discord that people don't know which version they want to play, and mastering each one takes time.

Izzet Murktide

About three weeks ago, Murktide stormed into the Modern meta straight from 2022, and so far, it has maintained a steady 1.6% share of the meta. However, its results aren't spectacular, and after a brief boom caused by content creators' posts, the deck hasn't shown anything particularly noteworthy.

P.S.: In the archetype, there are still two decks above the threshold, and they are

Dimir Midrange: 1.5% meta share, 9/24 in Top 32, 2/24 in Top 8, 0 trophies, 18% conversion rate, +36.0 pp delta, falling trend. In other words, results similar to Murktide.

Mono-Black Midrange: meta 1,1%, Top32 7/24, Top8 3/24, 0 trofeów, conv 38%, delta +28,1pp, encounter 5,4%, right at the threshold.

Control

Control currently holds nearly 7.5% of the meta, and interestingly, after LD's brief moment of triumph, another Prison Control deck has taken the lead. In addition, a new contender has emerged: Grixis Control. The archetype itself has a conversion rate slightly below the median and three trophies.

Azorius Control

The deck's excellent RC results over the past few weeks have boosted its popularity. It's definitely more of a Prison deck than a classic control deck, but it's performing great nonetheless: two trophies, a conversion rate slightly below the median, and a 5% meta share. That's an excellent result for a control deck, especially one that's so difficult to play. How will it fare against super-fast Rakdos in the finals? Will Zoabczy, who finally has access to RiP, be able to slow down his opponent enough to have a chance at winning?

Grixis Control

Very good results for a control deck, with a conversion rate above the median and one trophy. It's hard to say right now, but this could be an interesting option for players who want to play a control deck but aren't thrilled with Prison's strategy. We'll wait and see how things play out.

Blink

Blink will soon be merged with Midrange. It's still one deck, so I'll focus on its description.

Esper Blink

Esper has a meta share of just over 1.5%, which makes its conversion rate seem high, but this is actually due to the noise from a small sample size, since just one fewer entry into T8 results in a 29% conversion rate. Blink hasn't won any trophies, and the deck is currently played mostly by individual players who enjoy this style of gameplay, as its results suggest that the current meta isn't favorable for it.

Ramp

After removing Broodscale from the ramp archetype, it accounts for 7% of the meta. The conversion rate isn't impressive, it's only 17% and just one trophy. The vast majority of players who enjoy playing big mana decks have switched to Broodscale, which is not surprising given its effectiveness. It's encouraging, however, that not everyone has made the switch, and you can still find other decks that generate a lot of mana quickly.

Eldrazi Tron

The E-Tron deck has a meta share of just over 2% and a conversion rate only slightly below the median. It's a deck capable of surprising opponents, and in my opinion, if it weren't for Broodscale, its meta share and trophy count would be significantly higher.

Tron

The Tron has won one trophy this window and has a similar meta game rate to the E-tron. They are essentially identical in design, and, in my opinion, the distinction between them is artificial. Once the new naming system is implemented, the situation will become clearer.

Premier event

Modern Showcase Challenge, 17 October 2026, one event
winner MayoDominaria on Jeskai Energy
Top 8: Jeskai Energy, Prowess, Prowess, Prowess, Rakdos Midrange, Eldrazi Tron, Affinity, Broodscale Combo
Prowess: 3 out of 8 seats vs. 15% Challenge conversion. This is a very interesting situation. A single event doesn't tell us much, but a deck with such a low conversion rate in Challenges suddenly has three copies in the Top 8 of the event's premiere? This is a very interesting situation and suggests that either the players competing in this event know the decks better or they had better matchups in Swiss. For now, I don't have enough data to say anything more.
Rakdos Midrange 5th place, Broodscale Combo 8th

On the Radar (Universe B, below 5% encounter, present in Challenges)

Yawgmoth: 7 Top 32 entries, 4 Top 8 entries, conv 57%
Grixis Control: 7 entries, 1 trophy, Top32 6/24
The Rock: 4 entries, 2 Top 8 entries
Belcher: 5 entries, Top8 1/24, Trend Falling
4C Cosmogoyf: 1 entry, 1 trophy
Dimir Murktide: 1 entry, 1 trophy

Trophy distribution, all 24

Broodscale Combo 5, Rakdos Midrange 5, Affinity 3, Azorius Control 2
1 each: Boros Energy, Domain Zoo, Dimir Murktide, Grixis Control, Jeskai Energy, Prowess, Ruby Storm, Tron, 4C Cosmogoyf
13 different decks, max 5 per deck
by archetype: Combo 7, Midrange 7, Aggro 6, Control 3, Ramp 1, Graveyard 0, Blink 0
Two trophies from single-entry decks: 4C Cosmogoyf and Dimir Murktide

Pilots, 24 trophies

21 different trophy holders across 24 events
Rastaf 3 trophies, 10 Top 32, 6 Top 8, all wins on Rakdos Midrange
komattaman 2 trophies, 10 Top 32, 5 Top 8, all on Rakdos Midrange
hugofreitas1 12 Top 32, most in the window, 1 trophy on Ruby Storm
Nahuel10 1 trophy and 3 more finals, 3 decks played
Broodscale Combo 5 trophies from 5 pilots: Kollslaw, NerdDadChad, Venom01, levunga21, xfile. Venom01 zrobił też T8 Broodscalem w RC w ten weeknd.

That's all for this week. To sum up, Modern is doing quite well; the metagame is changing, it's dynamic, and there's room for new decks that incorporate cards from the format's latest expansion. This is very encouraging because it's a much healthier situation than bans, which bring about a revolution rather than evolution. I'm really excited to show you my new system for classifying decks, calculating win rates, and tracking the meta online. I'd like to continue down this path based on data transparency, even if there's theoretically less data to work with. All in all, I'm curious, is it important to you to know where the numbers used to calculate meta rankings and other metrics come from? Let me know in the comments.

Oh, and one last thing, if you made it all the way to the end and found this breakdown valuable, consider buying me a coffee!

My content will always remain 100% free with no paywalls, but if you’d like to support my work, even if it’s just helping to cover the MTGO deck rental fees, I’d truly appreciate it.

There’s absolutely no obligation, but if you feel like dropping a small tip, it means the world to me. Thanks for reading!😊

See you next week

Karol Małota

aka WarLord1986pl / TribalFlamesInYourFace

16 comments

r/ModernMagic • u/slipman_ • 10h ago

Won my local FNM with Saga Rock ! (golgari rock)

48 Upvotes

Full list: https://archidekt.com/decks/27748086/the_rock_2026

Hey fellow Rock entusiast! im a big fan of this deck and i have been working on this archetype for a while in my city. i wanted to share my list so more rock entusiast work and play on it and help me test out because i do think we are really close to be meta viable (we just need 1 good one drop ) yesterday i went 5-0 with my rocksi deck at the fnm. and the big new card that im playing in the rock right now, is carnivorous cultivator!.

Round 1 vs Rakdos hollow one. 2-1.
Round 2 vs Rakdos Fenix. 2-1
Round 3 vs affinty 2-1
Round 4 vs Boros Energy 2-1
Round 5 finals vs Izzet prowess. 2-0

My list:

Creatures 15:
Nethergoyf x4
Carnivorous Cultivator x4
Orchis Bowmaster x3
Haywire mite x1
Cecil dark knight x3

Explanation:

Carnivorous Cultivator: ok so for a while i have been searching a good solid 2 mana value creature to fit the role that dark confidant used to fit. and cultivator (aka bob marley) fits the roll perfectly, it can search and recurr urza saga which is super crucial in this archetype, AND searching and recycling boseiju its AMAZING. what makes carnivorous cultivator great is that the rock has so much removal that him conecting a hit is almost trivial, and in a losing position it can block creatures in combat and kill them like a champ. Great card, i belive he is one good land away for bing excepcional.

Cecil Dark kinght: This is a role that tarmogoyf used to occupy. In modern it is very crucial the ability to play 3 spells by turn 2 for midrange decks (Discard removal creature, Removal Creature removal, Creature creature discard ect.) so i needed a solid 1 drop to play in that spot. honestly, cecil is so so right now, great when you are able to flip it, kinda bad when he makes you take 4 damage and gets killed by a bolt. This is the most flexible spot for this deck, and i hope we get a solid beatdown 1 drop that we can play in this spot (a rework of hexdrinker would be awesome) i have been testing many other one drops and honestly all fell subpar compared to cecil, but again. this is why this requires more testing. feel free to play the old goyf on this spot.

Sorceries 7:

4x Thoughtseize
2x Inquisition of kozilek.
1x end the hunt.

Explaination:

End the hunt is a solid removal againts kappa and draco, plus the reason is here is for the delirium count for nethergoyf.

Instants 7

4x fatal push
3x Witherbloom charm
2 Sheoldrect Edict.

Artifacts: 7
4 x mishras bauble
1 x Shadowspear
1 x Nihil Spellbomb
1 x Pitting needle

Explanation: the strenght of this archetype is getting a solid midrange deck which can tuttor the silver bullet for various matches. feel free to adjust these.

Lands: 22

4x Verdant catacombs
4x Marsh Flats
2x overgrown tomb
1 x Underground Mortuary
3 x Swamp
1 x Forest
4x Urza's Saga
1x Nurturing Peatland
1x Castle Locthwain
1x Boseiju who endures

Explanation:

Nurturing peatland: For the cultivator toolbox, great to being able to draw continously if needed.

Boseiju: This card is awesome with the cultivator, againts eldrazitron this can literally lock them out of the game if unanswered. Againts affinty yesterday i was able to control pretty well the game with this lock.

Castle Locthwain: Honestly this is a freespot, i was thinking about barren more for this slot, but i belive the castle have been working fine during testing. an untaped land for most of the games, but in grindy matches you can pull 1 or 2 cards out of it.

Urza saga: again what cultivator now enables us to do, is to search and recurr this, searching is awesome because now we functinally have 8 sagas for consistency, and also you can get multiple recursions out of the saga. it forces our opponent to interact with the cultivator in some way, opening the road for our other treatss.

Sideboard:

Toxic Deludge x2
Pick your poison x2
Vexing Bauble x2
grafdiggers cage x1
Nihil spellbomb x1
Damping Sphere x3
Tourarch Dread Cantor x2
Ghost quarter x1
Tectonic edge x1

Explanation: Notable mentions here. we actually have a pretty reasonable match againts broodscales, we can attack that deck in all the angles (remove the combo, kill the sagas, exile the graveyard ) so i tried to focus more on my local matches.

Tourarch is awesome againts solitude decks

Ghost quarter is for saga and eldrazi decks
Tectonic edge its a card for control matches were we try to cut them out of one color, tutorable and recurable so its nice.

Pick your poison have been an all star honestly.

The card that strikes fear in our hearts: Wrath of the skies.

i would say my record with this version of the deck have been arorund 18-3, but again, it requires more work but im happy with the results.

Hope you rock and jund entusiast are able to test your cultivators! Happy dueling!

19 comments

r/ModernMagic • u/Fun_Fennel760 • 13h ago

Where to play? Looking for people to play with in Romagna

3 Upvotes

2 comments

r/ModernMagic • u/lobotomyz101 • 3h ago

Deck Discussion Classic Tron

0 Upvotes

Is there somewhere to discuss old Boomer Tron? I know of the Tron discord but thats almost all Eldrazi and variants, thats not the version i want to talk about.

I don't care that the deck isnt meta anymore, just want to bounce ideas off people, chatgpt has some weird opinions sometimes.

14 comments

r/ModernMagic • u/AndyWilson • 2d ago

I got 16th place in RC LA. Here's how I built my list, and how the Amulet Titan community is suffering from deckbuilding psychosis.

128 Upvotes

Hello, I played Amulet Titan to a 16th place finish in RC LA. I played Dryad of the Ilysian Grove instead of Malevolent Rumble. I wrote an article about why I did this, and how I landed on my list.

Included in the article are my observations about how the Amulet Titan community is suffering from deckbuilding psycosis.

A Dryad build with 0 Rumbles also made top 8 in BAL. Across both RCs, there were only 3 Dryad lists with 0 Rumbles, and two of them grabbed PT invites. (At least in USA) They were the only Amulet Titan configurations to do so, despite being BY FAR the least common configuration.

Anyway, article is below.

Article: https://buymeacoffee.com/andywilson/what-dryad-does-an-observation-amulet-titan-deckbuilding-psychosis

30 comments

r/ModernMagic • u/slipman_ • 1d ago

Deck Discussion Replacements for voice of victory in boros energy.

2 Upvotes

hey! i do have the full deck, EXCEPT, the 3 or 4 voice of victory. there is any good replacement for the card? enlightment confidant maybe? or some other token producer. keep your sugestions in the boros line (im playing 2 bloodmoons main so splashing a color is rough)! happy to hear your suggestions!

Edit: Its a temporal substitude, so please avoid messages like *nothing replaces it*. Its just in the meantime while i get the card.

25 comments

r/ModernMagic • u/DefinitelyNotLenny • 1d ago

Any goryo players have tips to beat esper blink?

15 Upvotes

I feel informed about every other matchup, but I can’t seem to beat blink. They don’t care that much about my combo, so the game goes to midrange, and they’re better at that than me. What do y’all think?

9 comments

r/ModernMagic • u/Junior-Passion8488 • 1d ago

The parabolic way of the Eldrazi. About softbans and META-game.

0 Upvotes

I am an Eldrazi player. I play any type of Eldrazi deck and, as many, recently I focused on the good Basking Broodscale variant to take home some wins here and there.

The deck is very powerful not going to lie.

Community started agreeing on BB-Eldrazi being the "deck to beat" around July and since then quite large changes happened.

My impression is that after Phlage ban many decks started looking for new lists and new versions to get the Tier 0.5 position that was left free (apparently) after Boros Energy downfall.

Any META-game is determined (among all of the things) by the stronger deck(s) and how the other decks try to attack them. Few decks play the list they want, the other answer them (e.g. BB-eldrazi playing unholy heat and crysalis in the Boros Energy metagame).

Now BB-Eldrazi is at the top, but new enemies (Rakdos delirium, Canopy Titan...) are on their way, so that the list of BB-Eldrazi are shaping heavily around cards that before were not even considered (e.g. Sire of Seven Deaths that recently is a main staple).

The deck went from a aggressive combo with various ending (Walking Ballista, Fleshraker...) and Emrakul as inevitability tool, to a ramp deck with Emrakul as main ending, to finally (now) a ramp deck with a combo component (the number of the blades is going down 2->3) and a beat down sector that (originally) was Crysalis, now is Sire of Seven Deaths. The Sire enables the Ugyn's labyrinth and so the Devour of destiny.

META-share is 20%->12%

Boros Energy is back

Modern: No changes

Sometimes I feel like we overlook for bans while the META is shaping, and possibly fixing itself.

Do you feel the same? (#freeshaman)

(Essentially I am an Eldrazi player ranting on the possibility that K-Command is banned)

54 comments

r/ModernMagic • u/try_light22185 • 1d ago

Card Discussion hidden gem in sideboard

0 Upvotes

hey guys,

my boros ponza deck is almost complete, can't wait to play it. i know that the sideboard is against the local meta and as my firend said "you sideboard agains decks, not for yourself", but what is your suprise card in your boros ponza sideboard?

sure, i can check tens of decks, but deck on the internet usally netdecked other decks from the internet.

so, what is your favorite surprise card in your sideboard?

17 comments

r/ModernMagic • u/FairSplit7072 • 1d ago

Deck Discussion Radkos aggro (midrange)

0 Upvotes

It seems my pet deck has been discovered and is taking its share of the Meta. My query is what is the advantage of a 5 drop creature that’s only a 3/4 (Street Wraith) when it’s cycling burns 2 life. Please tell me why I shouldn’t cut it for something more aggro. I’m a newer player so don’t beat me up too much lol

21 comments

r/ModernMagic • u/Anyna-Meatall • 3d ago

Returning Player Aspiring Spike youtube channel is back online

203 Upvotes

👍

https://www.youtube.com/@aspiringspike

11 comments

r/ModernMagic • u/Anxious_Lion_6359 • 2d ago

WOTC should have a gateway to get certain commander cards into modern.

0 Upvotes

MH3 added a couple cards that were originally printed in commander products. Insert joke about commander here, but some of these cards have really interesting design and would benefit the modern format, and generally, I think it's safer to add these cards years after the fact (because some see play in legacy/dual commander/cube etc) than to go through direct to modern Nadu slop again.

Listing some cards that see play in legacy and cube as a reference:

[[Ursine Monstrosity]]
[[Broadside Bombardiers]]
[[Minsc and Boo, Tireless Heroes]]
[[Pyrogoyf]]
[[Baleful Strix]]
[[Staff of the Storyteller]]
[[Glimmer Lens]]
[[Comet, Stellar Pup]] (in a legacy legal un-set)
[[Barrowgoyf]] (my jund heart can dream but this card is too good for modern)
[[Poxwalkers]] / [[Triumph of St. Catherine]] / [[Chaos Defiler]]
[[Currency Converter]] / [Retrofitter Foundry]]

Obviously initiative/monarch cards see play in legacy. No, we shouldn't have initiative cards in modern.

EDIT: a lot of people missing the point, so I'll state it here: you can think of this "gateway" kind of like that pauper secret lair that got a whole bunch of new cards added to pauper. Or like the arena anthologies that add specific cards into historic or timeless. But make a full set out of it, add maybe 10-20 new cards, give us some needed reprints (mopal, burning inquiry etc) and call it a day. You can call it modern remastered or something. Do it with safer cards (staff of the storyteller for example) that are maybe too weak for legacy.

37 comments

r/ModernMagic • u/lisabuechner • 3d ago

Looking for a good beginner deck!

3 Upvotes

I just moved to a new city and all my magic cards are at my parents place :(

I want to buy a new deck, just so i could play a bit as long as i don't have my old ones! Do you have any recommendations for a good base deck that's currently available as a starting point (might upgrade it later)?

I wanted to add that it's been a while since I was actively playing, so i am very open to any kind of deck. I just don't want to get destroyed every round, as I know these prebuild decks vary a lot in strength!

21 comments

r/ModernMagic • u/ReflectionSea7603 • 4d ago

Deck Discussion What is Sanctum Prelate for?

18 Upvotes

WU by nahuel10 Deck

This control orim's chant lock variation came first in a challenge. Im trying to think why he had 4 Sanctum Prelate in the side board and the only thing I can think its really good against is affinity and storm and potentially prowess but it seems super slow and not that good. Anyone know the tech and what bro was cooking?

31 comments

r/ModernMagic • u/LewieFastest • 5d ago

Deck Discussion 3-0d with the welder cam legacy to modern port

18 Upvotes

https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/8008703#paper

I don't believe this deck would perform super well in an rcq or anything, but t1 tamiyo into t2 melded moxite to flip and fuel graveyard for emry is broken af

I wanted to see if I could port welder cam from legacy into modern and came up with this.

It doesnt have the infinite combo since welder isn't legal, but this deck still did pretty great.

I beat an eldrazi control deck with terminus, dress downs, ugin, k command, teferi, orims chants and other super annoying stuff due to my decks rebuilding capabilities. 2-0

I 2-0'd jeskai riddler due to the speed of my deck and the turtle, but i think I got lucky g2 since he flooded

R3 we split, but i won the games for the promopacks. 2-0 against what I can only call bant shardless birthing ritual value pile. G2 I thought I was dead, but he didnt have red in his deck to sac high noon.

Any suggestions to make this homebrew more modern applicible for bigger events? Or is the answer to just play a meta list?

15 comments

r/ModernMagic • u/Few-Branch-2517 • 5d ago

Vent Aspiring Spike hacked

232 Upvotes

Aspiring Spikes YT got hacked, they just terminated their channel. I was in the middle of watching an old vod when it happened. Has any other creator in our community delt with this before?

UPDATE: AS OF LAST NIGHT ASPIRING SPIKE IS BACK!

104 comments

r/ModernMagic • u/FantasticallyMediocr • 5d ago

Deck Discussion Abzan Infinite Turns

6 Upvotes

Hey folks, I've really enjoyed playing this abzan list (or something similar) in standard where it becomes easy to ult [[Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer]] multiple times in a row for essentially infinite turns. Ex 1: https://moxfield.com/decks/QEj5L2DLdkyqgZHgT2XTCw Ex 2: https://moxfield.com/decks/vwZ28g8guUixVFRV2B-Skw

I'd love to try to port this over to modern for FNM purposes. I understand it will not be great given the level of free interaction running around, but I want to give it a shot. This is my current iteration (https://moxfield.com/decks/38xGwkSjT0eOaQYCYxnHvg) and would love some feedback!

18 comments

r/ModernMagic • u/CardiologistBrave870 • 5d ago

Deck Discussion Mardu vs Boros in Energy

3 Upvotes

Is there any significant advantage to adding black to energy given the meta game? I know thoughtseize, fatal push, and bowmasters are really good cards but I’m wondering if they are worth running as opposed to stock energy. I want to play it at fnm and can run either or. Any advice or suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thank you all

I’m using a very similar list to this:
https://mtgdecks.net/Modern/mardu-energy-decklist-by-furukawa-shinya-3136704

13 comments

r/ModernMagic • u/Lectrys • 5d ago

Southeast Asia RC 2026 Results

40 Upvotes

...This is mainly notable for being perhaps the first major Modern tournament (or at least with over 100 competitors - 182 in its case) to have Devoted Druid win.

https://melee.gg/Tournament/View/482105

Top 16:

Devoted Druid (no Walking Ballista)
BR Moonshadow Nethergoyf (Stitcher's Supplier)
BR Moonshadow Nethergoyf (Stitcher's Supplier)
Broodscale (Mono-G, Ugin's Labyrinth)
Grixis Reanimator
Broodscale (Mono-G, Ugin's Labyrinth)
Prowess (Boomerang Basics, no Pompous Battlemage, no Stormchaser's Talent(!))
Living End (RUGw)
Energy (RW)
Energy (RW)
Broodscale (Mono-G, Ugin's Labyrinth)
Domain Zoo (Wild Nacatl, Quantum Riddler)
Goryo's
Indomitable Creativity (5c, Way of the Paradox)
Broodscale (Mono-G, Ugin's Labyrinth)
Neoform

38 comments

r/ModernMagic • u/Imaginary-Ice-7413 • 5d ago

Rank Rat goes 4-1 in modern league

10 Upvotes

https://youtu.be/exFloEd-Y6Y?si=zZTw4pg44LcwWS0z

Do I believe the card is good? Absolutely not! Was my chat dumb for building this during my sub deck Saturday (my subs get randomly picked and choose any modern legal cards to build a deck). 100%!! But was it fun playing this deck and winning 3 games with rank rat. WITHOUT QUESTION!

12 comments

r/ModernMagic • u/Hamster-Possible • 6d ago

Off Color fetches

7 Upvotes

Hey guys I'm looking to buy and play this blink/control esper deck and I'm overbudget about 100$. How much do you think it would hurt if I ran windswept heaths instead of marsh flats for a brokie like me lol.

This is the list I'm currently netdecking and I already replaced the force of negation https://mtgtop8.com/event?e=92202&d=900403&f=MO

Thanks!

12 comments

r/ModernMagic • u/TheDarkestRitual • 7d ago

Deck Discussion How many decks is too many?

10 Upvotes

As the title asks, how many decks is too many for modern? Is it better to collect them all Commander style or just master 2-3 lists? How many do you play and where do you draw the line?

I currently play Esper Goryo’s & Boros Wildfire and was considering adding Grixis Reanimator into the mix. I’d like to play in some RCQs in the 2027 year if that makes any difference.

45 comments

r/ModernMagic • u/Broad_Ad_3422 • 6d ago

Getting Started Making first modern deck and having trouble, any tips?

0 Upvotes

https://moxfield.com/decks/q5OmXX3eXEewsq-TD4nZRQ

2 Aphotic Wisps (PLST) SHM-55

2 Blood Artist (AVR) 86

4 Carrion Feeder (FDC) 88

3 Dash Hopes (PLC) 68

2 Diabolic Tutor (PLST) ODY-129

2 Duress (FDN) 606

4 Gravecrawler (FDC) 104

3 Infernal Grasp (EOC) 84

2 K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth (MH3) 274 *F*

1 Nether Traitor (SOC) 220

2 Rogue's Passage (FIC) 415

20 Swamp (XLN) 270

3 Undead Augur (PLST) MH1-112

4 Vengeful Bloodwitch (FDN) 325

2 Village Rites (M21) 126

2 Viscera Seer (TDC) 199

Going for a monoblack aristocrat vampire/zombie deck but testing it hasn't been going too well and I'm not sure why. In theory it seems like it should run well but I'm not sure what it needs or what I should be taking out.

10 comments

r/ModernMagic • u/Xove3212- • 8d ago

Omnath Ritual Free Deck Guide

29 Upvotes

After a lot of requests for a deck guide for the omnath ritual deck I took to a 10-5 85th place at RC LA after an 8-0 start, I wrote up a quick free sideboard guide for anyone interested. This deck is very well positioned right now.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/10apSyYjCp9wlSCR6NO6fLg3maW6ecBbWObDJSxaMTfA/edit?usp=sharing

6 comments

r/ModernMagic • u/No-Bet7157 • 8d ago

Article Modern Pilot League, Week 6: rastaf Takes the Lead With Two Challenge Wins, Plus an Interview

27 Upvotes

New Modern Challenge League update this time with an interview with a leader- Rastaf. You can also watch the video recap here.

Full standings: https://challangeleague.cytr.us/

For five weeks of the Autumn 2026 season, rastaf was the clearest example of how this league rewards showing up. The name sat near the top of the table week after week, built on Top 16 finishes rather than trophies. Then, between 6 and 12 October, rastaf reached two Challenge finals and won both. Those were the first Top 2 finishes of rastaf’s season, and they turned second place into first. The lead is now 7 points ahead of hugofreitas1 and 10 points ahead of Mistakenn. A third trophy followed on 13 October, after this edition’s window had closed.

Rastaf’s season shows the trade-off you face in this league every week: play more, or convert more. The 40 points come from 25 Top 32 finishes, level with MeninoNey for the most in the league, and 20 of them ended in a Top 16. That is a high floor, but at 1.60 points per start, it is not the highest you will see in the table. Mistakenn has 2.14 points per start and converted 9 of 14 starts into a Top 8. This week volume finally came with a ceiling: rastaf converted 3 of 4 starts into a Top 8, the best rate among the 26 pilots with at least three starts in the window, and scored 12 points at 3.00 per start.

Thanks to the kindness of rastaf, who took the time to answer a few questions, we can learn a little more about what lies behind this result:

Karol: Thanks a lot for agreeing to do this interview, and congratulations on your recent run in the Challenges. How long have you been playing Magic? Is it strictly Modern for you, or do you play other formats too? And do you stick mostly to MTGO, or do you play paper events as well?

rastaf: I’ve been playing Magic for over 20 years. These days I see myself as a professional player, so I’m willing to practice and play any competitive format that helps me stay on the circuit or qualify for major events. I play both paper and online, so I’m always looking for opportunities to compete, regardless of the format or platform.

Karol: You’re currently tied with MeninoNey for the most Top 32 finishes in the Challenges since the start of September, 25 each, and that counts only the runs that made the Top 32. These are long, grueling tournaments. How do you handle fatigue, and do you feel burned out at all playing this often?

rastaf: Well, this is the job I’ve chosen and it’s what I know how to do, so playing Challenges is just part of my job, like any other. The difference is that I genuinely enjoy it, which makes it easier to keep going without feeling too exhausted.

Karol: What’s your take on the current state of the Modern metagame? I’ve heard some pros say it’s in a bad spot for high-level play because it’s too diverse, which makes it almost impossible to prepare a sideboard when you can run into anything.

rastaf: Honestly, I think Modern is in a great spot right now, and the format feels very balanced. We have three decks I’d consider Tier 0, along with several others in Tier 1. The key is to use your skill and creativity to build a versatile sideboard that covers as many of the most popular decks as possible.

Karol: This autumn you were putting up solid results with Esper Blink but couldn’t quite take a trophy. Then you switched to Rakdos and won three Challenges in a week. Is the deck just that strong right now, or were people unprepared for the new build?

rastaf: I didn’t manage to win a Challenge with Esper Blink, but I did win a much bigger tournament, the Showcase. I think it’s more about recognizing when a deck is well positioned and taking advantage of that window, and right now I feel Rakdos is the deck to play. I’ll admit I’m enjoying having faster and easier games a lot more.

Karol: Blink and Rakdos play completely differently. Do you have a preferred archetype, or can you pick up any shell and pilot it efficiently?

rastaf: These days I tend to prefer aggressive decks, and maybe some midrange strategies. I wouldn’t say I can pilot any deck efficiently. I’ve always needed a lot of reps with a deck before I feel comfortable playing it.

Karol: People on Reddit often ask for a good entry-level Modern deck, and Prowess usually comes up because of the price. I don’t really agree with that pick, since I think it’s tricky to play correctly. What would you recommend to a beginner, and what advice would you give someone just starting in the format?

rastaf: Honestly, I think Modern is a pretty difficult format for beginners. It’s a huge format with a very high level of competition. The good thing is that if your deck doesn’t get banned, you can stick with it and spend years practicing and improving with it. I’d recommend something like Prowess, Rakdos, Affinity or Urza Tron.

Karol: Speaking of Rakdos, do you have any quick tips for players picking it up? What are the key lines to master, what are your best and worst matchups, and how damaging is graveyard hate like Rest in Peace?

rastaf: The main game plan is to get your creatures onto the battlefield quickly and let them grow as you generate triggers and fill your graveyard. I’d say Prowess and Broodscale are among the deck’s best matchups, while Affinity is the worst. And yes, cards like Rest in Peace can shut the deck down completely.

Karol: A personal one, as a dedicated Zoo player: where do you think Domain Zoo sits in the current metagame, both objectively and from your side of the table when you play against it?

rastaf: I think Domain Zoo is somewhere between Tier 1 and Tier 2. When it has Leyline in its opening hand every game, it’s always a problem for any deck. When it doesn’t, things get considerably easier for everyone else. I like the deck, but I think it’s always a risky choice.

Karol: I usually avoid ban list talk, but I love asking this one. If you could unban one card in Modern, what would it be?

rastaf: Phlage, for sure. I love Boros Energy.

Karol: Last question. Do you think initiatives like this league are valuable for the MTGO community? There are no cash or physical prizes, just friendly competition and stats, so I’m curious whether a player like you finds it engaging?

rastaf: I found it really interesting to be able to track my results and performance through your stats. I have to admit, it was very satisfying to follow my progress and see myself consistently staying at the top over the past few months. I think initiatives like this are great for the MTGO community!

The rest of the top of the table moved around rastaf. hugofreitas1 added 10 points from 5 starts, including a Challenge win, and moved up to second. Mistakenn did not reach a Top 32 in the window and dropped from first to third, three points behind. Venom01 scored the same 12 points as rastaf, from 6 starts instead of 4, and jumped from 25th to 5th. MeninoNey entered the top 10 from 13th, while Reiam and Ale_Mtg dropped out. You now need 21 points for 10th place, up from 17 a week ago.

Further down, the table still shows how flat its lower half is. 324 of 888 pilots are on zero, and before this window, everyone from 517th down had no points, which is why a single strong week travels so far. Komattaman gained 204 places with a Challenge win and a second Top 8 and landed at 50th. The largest raw jump, Antarctica, from 778th to 217th, came from one final. Eleven Challenges were played in the window, 227 pilots reached at least one Top 32, and 30 of the 67 newcomers scored.

Rastaf’s answer about reps is the part I keep coming back to. A pilot who says he needs a lot of games with a deck before he trusts it is also the pilot with the most Top 32 finishes in the league, and the trophies came only after that volume met a deck he calls well-positioned. His words also support my point of view that key to good result is experience, rastaf plays magic for 20 years, he can read metagame, but still says that reps are so important, so if you are beginner and you find deck that suits you the most, stick with it and make a reps, the rest will come with them.

Mistakenn took the other route this season, with almost half as many Top 32s and a much higher rate. If you had to bet on who finishes the season first, which profile would you trust, and does the points-per-start tiebreak reward the right one?

Karol Małota

aka WarLord1986pl / TribalFlamesInYourFace

Oh, and one more little thing, since you’ve made it to the end of the article and enjoyed it, you might want to consider buying me a coffee. My content will always be free, and there won’t be any paywalls or anything like that, but if you’d like to support me as a creator, even just to help cover the cost of renting my decks, I’d really appreciate it. This isn’t mandatory, and please don’t feel obligated in any way. My dream is to get a coffee only if you find what I do to be truly valuable

5 comments

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This subreddit is for players of any level of experience to discuss any topics regarding the Modern format, whether it is decks that pro's have been winning with, metagame discussion, card discussion, or home brews. Please do not try and sell cards or decks within this subreddit.

All we ask is that before you post, do some research yourself to try to find the answer to your query. It can be as simple as typing your query into google, along with the word Reddit, to see if your question has been asked before.

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