Top 8 Decks in Modern - October 2021

The Modern format has largely settled after the huge impacts of Modern Horizons II, with neither AFR nor MID having too large an effect. The format appears to be healthy, supporting a variety of play patterns and a mix of new and old archetypes.

8. Tron

Tron has been on the fringes of competitiveness for some time. While it is able to go over the top of decks like Footfalls and Elementals, it suffers from the speed of the more aggressive decks in the format like Hammertime and UR Murktide. Additionally, it's taken a hit from the popularity of land hate in Alpine Moon, Blood Moon, and Spreading Seas, popular tools in fighting against Urza's Saga.

Interestingly, the flex slots in Tron have become more important than ever. High numbers of Ragavans and Puresteel Paladins call for maindeck inclusion of Dismember, whereas a metagame filled with Living End and Murktides would merit more Relics of Progenitus. If you're looking to grind against Elementals and UW Control, then you might instead go for Karn, the Great Creator. As such, if you're looking to pick up Tron, be sure to look over metagame data so that you can optimize your picks for the flex slots.

7. Burn

Burn, in both Lurrus of the Dream-Den and non-Lurrus forms, has made a comeback over the last few months. With the format picking up speed and becoming increasingly creature-focused, the ability to chip in early on the battlefield but close on the stack has put Burn in a reasonable position. Eidolon of the Great Revel requires an immediate answer in a format filled with one-drops, and most decks aren't packing interaction that lines up well against Lightning Bolts pointed at the face. Against decks that can outrace it, such as Hammertime, its burn spells allow it to take on more of a control role.

If you are going to pick up Burn, I'd recommend including Lurrus in the sideboard. Every other deck in the format has recognized that a single sideboard slot is worth giving up for the power of the Nightmare Cat, and I'm skeptical that Burn is exempt from this trend.

6. Hammer

Hammertime continues to be a litmus test for the format, its power and consistency contributing to the uptick in cards like Chalice of the Void and Engineered Explosives. Alongside threats like Ragavan and Dragon's Rage Channeler, Hammertime is part of the reason why Modern has sped up, making one-mana answers a must in most decks.

The latest innovations in Hammer have mostly involved incorporating a Black splash for Thoughtseize. Despite playing 7-8 colorless sources, it's not too rough on the mana. Springleaf Drum provides mana fixing, the deck was already playing 4 Canopy lands, and Concealed Courtyard is mostly free. A Turn 1 Thoughtseize can make an enormous difference against decks which have adapted to its presence, rendering hands kept on the back of one good hate piece defunct. Even just using Thoughtseize as an expensive Gitaxian Probe to clear the way for a combo kill is a compelling addition to the deck.

Despite the rise in hate, Hammertime is still a great choice. However, I'd recommend getting lots of practice in with the deck before taking it to a tournament, particularly post-board games in which you'll need to fight through hate pieces.

5. Footfalls

Though Living End has seen a slight uptick in popularity, Footfalls has continued to be the most popular Cascade deck of choice. While the power level of its payoff is lower than its counterparts (Living End and Glimpse of Tomorrow), it is more consistent, far more resilient to hate, and the most capable of playing a normal game of Magic, closing out with Adventure creatures and hardcasted Furies.

As is the case with Hammertime, the format has adjusted to the popularity and power of Footfalls. All of Modern's top decks are capable of interacting either with hand disruption, countermagic, or racing. Like Hammertime, if you're planning on playing this deck, I'd recommend that you put in plenty of practice in the post-board games and get used to fighting against people's hate.

4. UR Murktide

While no longer on top of the Modern format, UR Murktide continues to be a popular and successful archetype, and it will likely remain so for the foreseeable future. UR Murktide doesn't have a set of hate cards that can stop the deck from functioning, which makes it resilient to metagame shifts. Rest in Peace is likely the most effective, but even then, Ragavan backed up by countermagic has gone the distance more than once.

Players enjoy playing aggro-control decks like this because they're versatile and provide the pilot with plenty of decisions. While you might steal some games with a Turn 1 Ragavan, most are going to be longer, more delicate affairs filled with choices involving sequencing, which counterspell to use, when to protect a threat, etc. Post-board, this remains true, and the deck can shift into a much more controlling role if desired, or remain aggressive. There is also some customizability around both the one or two flex spots in the main and the sideboard.

Fundamentally, this deck is playing the most broken creatures, the best counterspells, and the best card draw. As such, the floor for this deck is pretty high.

3. Jund Saga

Jund Saga is the newest addition to Modern's top tier. It seeks to combine as many of Modern's pillars into one archetype as possible. Ragavan, DRC, Urza's Saga, and Lurrus in one shell leaves little to be desired. Tarmogoyf and Wrenn and Six are natural companions to DRC, and the artifact focus of Urza's Saga further gives the deck a tutor package and synergizes with DRC, Goyf, and Lurrus.

The more you look at it, the scarier the deck becomes when you realize that so many of Modern's top cards naturally synergize with each other. This deck can beat down quickly with one-drops and hand disruption, or it can play a long, grindy game with Wrenn and Lurrus looping Urza's Saga and Mishra's Bauble. Like UR Murktide, Jund Saga has a high floor; while it is more susceptible to graveyard hate, it also has more ways to interact with hate. White decks are not very popular, which means Rest in Peace is less of a concern, and the deck can more easily play around Nihil Spellbomb or Relic of Progenitus.

If you enjoy grindy games like the Jund decks of old used to play, this archetype is for you; all that's changed is that every card got better.

2. 4C Elementals

When so much of the format is trying to play grindy midrange games, Elementals is the best place to be. It's impossible to compete with the value that this deck generates. A full fifteen of the cards in this deck net card advantage, with Fury also being likely to trade up on cards. Ephemerate helps to dodge removal and accrue value, while Teferi, Time Raveler and Prismatic Ending prevent the opponent from doing anything too crazy. Post-board, you have access to some of the best sideboard cards in the format including Force of Negation, Rest in Peace, Alpine Moon, and Engineered Explosives.

Elementals has game against every other deck in the format thanks to 0-mana interaction, Teferi, and the ability to go wildly over the top of what every other deck is doing. Outside of Tron, there are no actively bad matchups, though you always have to watch out for Torpor Orb post-board. Hard though it is to believe that Risen Reef and Mulldrifter are maindeckable cards in 2021 Modern, give the deck a spin; it's both absurdly powerful and wildly fun.

1. UW Control

As Modern has settled down, UW Control has been able to adjust its answers to fight the format's threats. Primarily, this has meant playing mainboard copies of Chalice of the Void and Spreading Seas in order to fight against the format's non-creature axes. These non-creature answers are supplemented by Teferi, Time Raveler and countermagic, while the creature answers remain flexible and powerful.

Furthermore, while the deck always had access to card advantage in the form of Archmage's Charm and its planeswalkers, Memory Deluge is a powerful addition that means you'll never run out of cards. It's sideboard remains powerful and flexible, with White providing great options like Rest in Peace (powerful and well-positioned), Monastery Mentor, Celestial Purge (so many decks are playing Red, Black, or both), and Dovin's Veto.

While there is still experimentation going on with the list (Kaheera vs no Kaheera, number of Chalices/Seas/Planeswalkers, etc), the core shell of UW Control has returned to the top of the metagame. Be sure to have a plan against it if you're playing Modern anytime soon.

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.