Wrong.
Modern players only want one thing, and it's disgusting: to play with three, four, or eight-mana cards.
Wizards seems to think this isn't true, that playing with cheaper cards is generally better. Well, Force of Will is one of the most played cards in Legacy, and that's five mana. It was really only Lurrus of the Dream-Den all along holding back the Modern format from being the paradise of six-drops that it always had the potential to be.
It's time to embrace the newfound possibilities of this fledgling format, willfully, blissfully ignoring the years leading up to Lurrus that clearly established which cards were playable.
First off, we're bringing back THE QUEEN, Liliana of the Veil. The Lurrus ban made Wizards' position clear: Zoomers are out, Boomers are in. See ya terrible manabase and wacky crap like Pyrite Spellbomb, it's time to play good old-fashioned taplands like Raging Ravine and respectable Magic cards like Bloodbraid Elf, which got unbanned (screw you, Lurrus!) Sure, they might not be very good, but you can discard them to Liliana, so you're all set.
How does Liliana play into the current metagame? Incredibly. When she comes in, you can tick her down right away to eliminate one of your opponent's several overpowered one-drops. After making a small dent in your opponent's board, some non-believers have claimed that she will just die to another overpowered one-drop or a Wrenn and Six or a Lightning Bolt or an Unholy Heat or a Fury or a random Stoneforge Mystic or a Fire // Ice or a Dwarven Mine token or a Young Wolf BUT they would be mistaken! Because Liliana can't die if the opponent simply kills you with a Goblin Charbelcher or Rhinos or a Hammer or a Titan or an Indomitable Creativity.
Of course, you also have the option of upticking! This powerful play can cause your opponent, fresh off an Expressive Iteration, to discard an Abundant Growth and Fury her the next turn. Obviously, these are the kinds of powerful three-mana plays that Lurrus was prohibiting all along.
One of the decks that Lurrus was propping up was Grixis Death's Shadow, and all week, Twitter has been filled with the lamentations of Shadow tryhards desperately trying to reconstruct their pet deck from 2017.
LOL they didn't even have The Royal Scions yet
Before Lurrus wrecked the format, Shadow players were unlocking the power of The Royal Scions, by far the most broken three-mana planeswalker from Throne of Eldraine. I mean, it ticks up to 6 loyalty the turn it comes in!
Here's the thing: Death's Shadow only played something like 20 card selection spells to sculpt its hand, and The Royal Scions was the key 21st card selection spell that really brought the deck together. Expressive Iteration might seem nice, but until you get to draw and discard every turn for free, you haven't really experienced the power of the Blue-Red color combination.
But The Royal Scions also ensure that you're always connecting. No more getting your flying Dragon's Rage Channelers and Murktide Regents and dashed Ragavans chump-blocked. The Royal Scions was unlocking massive damage potential before Dress Down did that and also a bunch of other stuff and also draws a card.
But don't forget the most vital piece of The Royal Scions: the ultimate. Everyone knows that they should stay above three life against Death's Shadow because it played Lightning Bolt several years ago and, like, maybe the person you're playing against still likes it. But you can get'em with the mighty strength of The Royal Ultimate: Boros Charm. Wizards love to design new and creative ultimate abilities that essentially read “I win,” and as many a Burn player can attest, Boros Charm knows how to win games. Sure, you might miss taking Turn 7 to put Lurrus in your hand, cast it, and play a threat from the graveyard, but now you can just Boros Charm for free! It's about to be The Royal Scions' world; we just live in it.
But here's the thing: it's an open secret which deck gains the most from the Lurrus ban.
Like all good cards in Magic, Yorion, Sky Nomad is a five-drop that Sam Black broke the first week it came out.
Yorion is already great in Modern, but I propose that we haven't taken the companion far enough. Consider that one of the things that Wizards claimed made Lurrus so good was that it was a purely additive reward for doing something that players were incentivized to do anyways. Is there a way to do the same to Yorion? To make its Companion condition an upside instead of basically neutral?
Yes. Yes there is.
Sharing the same mana cost as Legacy staple Force of Will, Battle of Wits is no longer pseudo-banned from Modern by Lurrus. Not only does it turn Yorion's Companion condition into an incredible positive, but it dodges Unholy Heat, is tricky to Drown in the Loch or Prismatic Ending, and can't get hit by soon-to-be Modern staple Liliana of the Veil's downtick. Nor can it be Fury'ed or Solitude'd. Indeed, as a five-mana enchantment with no effect to interact with when it enters the battlefield, this card is virtually impossible to remove. This gives an enormous edge to whichever 4C player includes this alongside their Omnaths and Yorions.
But the list goes on and on. Hammertime can finally play powerful equipment like Elbrus, the Binding Blade, Necropouncer, or Commander staple Helm of the Host.
I've even heard discussion of including the mighty Kaldra in Hammertime! While it does require three cards, the payoff certainly seems worth it.
The wonderful thing about the Lurrus ban is that it doesn't only give you permission to play the most powerful cards in Modern; it also unlocks a buffet of decks in the format. For example, where's Eldrazi Tron been? With Lurrus out of the way, it's time for the real best 3/2 in Modern to reclaim its throne.
Or perhaps you have another tribal deck you're fond of! Merfolk, Elves, Minotaurs, and Werewolves all have the potential to become the next breakout Modern deck if they can just dodge Fury forever!
Like I said: it's an exciting time in Modern – don't let it pass you by.
So many powerful four-mana enchantments to choose from!
Ryan Normandin is a grinder from Boston who has lost at the Pro Tour, in GP & SCG Top 8's, and to 7-year-olds at FNM. Despite being described as "not funny" by his best friend and "the worst Magic player ever" by Twitch chat, he cheerfully decided to blend his lack of talents together to write funny articles about Magic.
