The Top 8 Decks in Modern – April 2019 Update

BG is the new Jund. With some of the best removal in the format in the form of Assassin's Trophy and Liliana of the Veil, some of the best threats in the format, such as Tarmogoyf and Liliana of the Veil, and fantastic card advantage thanks to cards like Dark Confidant and Liliana of the Veil. The deck has adapted well to the new metagame; the popularity of multiple mainboard Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet has allowed the deck to have strong Game 1’s against Phoenix and Dredge. Post-board, it only picks up more tools, and Dark Confidant and Tireless Tracker will make sure that those tools get found. As Modern becomes more and more degenerate, it’s nice to see that a fair midrange deck running mainboard four-drops can see success. If you’re looking for a deck that plays like a jacked up Standard deck, consider picking up BG.

 7. Humans

They’re back! Before Phoenix, before KCI, there was Humans, a deck that The Internet demanded be banned before it destroyed all of Modern. Then, it disappeared. But with some of its predators on the downswing and its prey at the top, Humans has returned to Modern as a reasonable choice for a tournament. Nowadays, the deck is incorporating either Anafenza the Foremost to gain percentage points against Phoenix and Dredge or Kessig Malcontents to go for “combo” kills out of nowhere to end games that it can’t win through combat. In the sideboard, it’s gained access to Deputy of Detention, a great tool against decks that seek to go wider/faster than it, or decks that play difficult-to-interact-with threats. If you miss playing cards that are simply better-looking, more swole versions of you, then get some humans together into a group for the next tournament and convince all your Human friends that Humans is the deck that humans should be playing!

6. Tron

While metagames ebb and flow, there’s always one thing in Modern that can be counted on to be good: Turn 3 Karn. The Karnfather is only one of the many busted things that Tron can do way faster than other decks can do busted things. Of particular relevance in today’s metagame is Tron’s ability to exile. Karn, Ugin, and Ulamog all exile threats, and with Phoenix and Dredge topping the charts, that’s never been more important. Tron’s diversity of threats, all of which can be reliably found off Ancient Stirrings, ensure that it has a solid gameplay against every deck in the format. Phoenix/Dredge? Ugin. Shadow? Wurmcoil Engine. Ad Nauseam? Just hang out while they fizzle. If you’re tired of seeing Karn with pants on in Standard, come check him out in Modern, where his legs have never been more Liberated.

 5. UW Control

Modern really has done a great job of illustrating its cyclical nature over the couple years. At some point in time, Humans, Death’s Shadow, and UW Control have all been “The Pick” for a period of time. Then, all were dubbed to be utterly unplayable for another period of time. And here we are, today, playing Magic like it’s some weird combination of 2016, 2017, and 2018. That is to say, Jace and Teferi are playable again! With the rise of threat-light decks like Phoenix and Shadow along with more creature-based midrange decks like Humans and BG, UW Control looks to be decently-positioned. Now might be a particularly good time to get in if you believe that it will be getting new tools in Modern Horizons cough Counterspell cough or that Dovin’s Ban Veto is busted.

4. Amulet Titan

Amulet, or, as the kids are calling it these days, #AmuLit. Amulet’s power lies in the fact that it can play fast, combo games where it kills on Turn 2 or 3, but also longer games where it acts as a toolbox deck. With Summoner’s Pact, Primeval Titan, and Tolaria West alongside an array of utility lands, Amulet can grind with the best of them and eventually kill with a Titan. Walking Ballista, Hornet Queen, and even Zacama are additional tools that the deck can utilize in the main or sideboard to deal with a diverse metagame. Amulet rewards familiarity with the deck, one of the reasons we’re seeing players with a reputation playing the deck having particular success with it. With an increased spotlight on it thanks to vocal proponents, including the GAM Podcast, expect to see an uptick in Titans at your next tournament.

 3. Grixis Death’s Shadow

Death’s Shadow is similar to Amulet in that it is capable of unbeatable, Turn 3 kills, while also able to grind out longer games. It is a deck that is capable of playing either the aggressor or the control role depending on the matchup, and it does both quite nicely. The latest innovation to the deck is the inclusion of some number of Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy, the two-mana Planeswalker that we all fondly remember as leading to thousand-dollar decks in Standard. Jace pushes the deck a bit more toward a controlling role, but also acts to increase the deck’s redundancy, particularly when it is spinning its wheels looking for a Shadow or an Angler. Even though some might argue that it suffers from #nogoodmatchups, others would point out that it’s not really a dog to any of the best decks right now. It feels like it’s taken on the role of Jund in that it’s roughly 50/50 against everything, which a good pilot can leverage.

 2. Dredge

Dredge has become one of the defining decks of Modern. Even with an uptick in graveyard decks, including multiple mainboard Surgical Extraction, Dredge and its Creeping Chills keeps on winning. It is resilient and capable of dealing with hate and presents a fast clock that is difficult to interact with, essentially demanding that you race it. I do believe that Dredge requires you to play against it in a very specific way, and it’s not always obvious what the best lines are if you are unfamiliar with the matchup. If you want to beat Dredge, you need to know going in which cards matter in the matchup and what your plan of attack is, both pre-and post-board. Dredge will punish harshly any stumbles or Hesitation in your gameplan.

 1. Izzet Phoenix

So I guess we’re still doing this, huh? With the B&R announcement having come and gone, Faithless Looting remains in the format, so Phoenix is going to keep winning. Putting up unprecedented conversion rates for Modern and making up roughly 20% of the Day 2 field at three GP’s, UR Phoenix is undeniably the best deck in Modern. While others have pointed out that decks like Humans and Shadow were also dominant, but the format adapted and forced them out altogether, neither was consistently making up a fifth of the Day 2 fields, even after players come prepared to beat it. While I understand and agree with Wizards’ decision not to ban Looting given the approaching Modern Horizons, I do believe that the deck is currently too good. Unless Modern is able to adapt in the next couple of months, something it’s been unable to do in the last couple of months, then I would support a ban of Faithless Looting unless Modern Horizons cleans things up, which it very well might. So for now, enjoy making “CAW!” sounds every time you cast that third spell, but I’m suspicious that this bird is living on borrowed time.

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.