Hello, and welcome back to Metagame Mentor, your weekly guide to the top decks and latest Constructed developments on the path to the Pro Tour. In just one week, Pro Tour Edge of Eternities will feature Modern. This event is truly massive, boasting a $500,000 prize pool and the world’s top competitors. Check out the viewer’s guide for all the details on the event. Then, be sure to tune into the event’s coverage, as it’s always exciting to watch Modern players showcase their deck-building prowess and gameplay skills.
To give an early indication of what to expect at the Pro Tour, today’s article will examine the current Modern metagame, walk through the top fifteen archetypes as of now, and spotlight some intriguing new cards from Magic: The Gathering® | Marvel’s Spider-Man.
Modern is a nonrotating 60-card format based on expansion sets, core sets, and straight-to-Modern sets from Eight Edition forward, save for cards on the banned list. With its deep card pool spanning over 20 years of card history, Modern boasts intricate card interactions and a vast array of viable strategies.
To learn which Modern decks were dominating the top tables before the release of Magic: The Gathering | Marvel’s Spider-Man, I analyzed over 900 successful tournament decks from the past two weeks. My dataset drew from every published Magic Online list from scheduled events between August 1–15, including the 320-player Modern RC Super Qualifier. It also included all decklists from the Super Sunday RCQ at SCG CON Orlando and the Top 8 decklists from the NRG Series $10,000 Modern Showdown.
To show which decks are dominating the top tables, I assigned points to each deck based on its rectified number of net wins, calculated as the number of match wins minus losses, with negative values adjusted to zero. By combining these points across all events, each archetype’s share of the total rectified net wins blends popularity and performance into a single, comprehensive metric: the winner’s metagame share.
In this table, each archetype name hyperlinks to a top-performing decklist that closely reflects its aggregate build. The “Other” category collects decks with less than one percent winner’s metagame share, including Azorius Blink, Hammer Time, Orzhov Blink, Ascendancy Combo, Esper Reanimator, Simic Ritual, Golgari Broodscale, Mono-Black Eldrazi, Five-Color Creativity, Gruul Broodscale, Izzet Wizards, Mono-Green Broodscale, Izzet Metalcraft, Jeskai Affinity, Mono-Black Necro, Mardu Blink, Golgari Yawgmoth, Mardu Energy, Golgari Soultrader, and more.
In my previous metagame snapshot, which was taken right after the release of Edge of Eternities, there were three decks on the upswing: Grixis Reanimator, Esper Blink, and Izzet Affinity. Since then, the first two have stumbled and lost ground in metagame share while Izzet Affinity has continued to build on its momentum. At the same time, Tameshi Belcher and Eldrazi Tron have surged ahead in prominence. The arrows in the table capture these trends.
Thoughtseize
Phlage, Titan of Fire’s Fury
Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer
Fatal Push
Wrath of the Skies
Force of Negation
Kozilek’s Command
Solitude
Across all main decks and sideboards combined, the most played nonland cards were
The current Modern metagame has a diversity index of 14.4, which indicates strong diversity according to the definition outlined in last week’s Modern Pro Tour history overview. With dozens of archetypes capable of claiming victory, anything is possible in the hands of a skilled pilot. Ultimately, success will often come down to players’ mastery of their deck. Players thrive when they know their deck’s intricate interactions, its sideboard pivots, and the nuances of its most common matchups.
To set the stage for the upcoming Pro Tour, I’ve constructed aggregate decklists for the top-tier archetypes. I assemble these lists using an algorithm that weighs card popularity, deck performance, and internal synergies. Let’s take a closer look at the fifteen most prominent contenders, each representing at least two percent of the winner’s metagame over the past two weeks. Note that decks four, five, and six (Esper Goryo’s, Izzet Affinity, and Esper Blink) all have essentially the same winner’s metagame share, so their ordering is arbitrary.
4 Galvanic Discharge
4 Phlage, Titan of Fire’s Fury
4 Arid Mesa
4 Guide of Souls
4 Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer
4 Ocelot Pride
4 Ajani, Nacatl Pariah
4 Marsh Flats
4 Flooded Strand
3 Sacred Foundry
3 Arena of Glory
3 Goblin Bombardment
3 Seasoned Pyromancer
2 Plains
2 Elegant Parlor
2 Thraben Charm
2 Voice of Victory
2 Static Prison
1 Mountain
1 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker
2 Clarion Conqueror
2 Wear
2 Celestial Purge
2 Blood Moon
2 Orim’s Chant
1 Wrath of the Skies
1 Showdown of the Skalds
1 Surgical Extraction
1 Ghost Vacuum
1 Obsidian Charmaw
In the current Modern format, Boros Energy has cemented itself as the deck to beat, commanding 15.8% of the winner’s metagame. Powered by
But Boros Energy doesn’t just excel in the early game.
4 Whir of Invention
4 Disrupting Shoal
4 Lotus Bloom
4 Goblin Charbelcher
4 Tameshi, Reality Architect
4 Suppression Ray
4 Sea Gate Restoration
4 Hydroelectric Specimen
4 Sink into Stupor
4 Thundertrap Trainer
4 Fallaji Archaeologist
3 Jwari Disruption
3 Flare of Denial
2 Waterlogged Teachings
2 Stern Scolding
2 Spell Snare
1 Force of Negation
1 Into the Flood Maw
1 Razorgrass Ambush
1 Beyeen Veil
3 Consign to Memory
2 Harbinger of the Seas
2 Flusterstorm
1 Dusk Rose Reliquary
1 Into the Flood Maw
1 Tezzeret the Seeker
1 Tormod’s Crypt
1 Mountain
1 Mystical Dispute
1 Unable to Scream
1 Stock Up
Tameshi Belcher is the premier combo deck in Modern. Since the list contains zero actual lands, a single Belcher activation deals damage equal to the number of cards in your library—typically more than enough to end the game on the spot. To reach the necessary mana to activate Belcher, the deck leans heavily on
In addition to this primary plan, the deck also features a potent backup combo:
4 Urza’s Mine
4 Eldrazi Temple
4 Karn, the Great Creator
4 Kozilek’s Command
4 Urza’s Tower
4 Expedition Map
4 Urza’s Power Plant
4 Ugin’s Labyrinth
4 Devourer of Destiny
4 Mind Stone
3 Ugin, Eye of the Storms
3 Thought-Knot Seer
3 Glaring Fleshraker
2 Dismember
2 Sire of Seven Deaths
1 All Is Dust
1 Swamp
1 Wastes
1 Chalice of the Void
1 Warping Wail
1 Vexing Bauble
1 Relic of Progenitus
2 Disruptor Flute
1 Ensnaring Bridge
1 Liquimetal Coating
1 Tormod’s Crypt
1 Trinisphere
1 Walking Ballista
1 Cityscape Leveler
1 Grafdigger’s Cage
1 Extinguisher Battleship
1 Vexing Bauble
1 Chalice of the Void
1 The Stone Brain
1 The Filigree Sylex
1 Torpor Orb
At the heart of Eldrazi Tron lies the iconic trio of lands:
Beyond its mana engine, Eldrazi Tron leverages
4 Goryo’s Vengeance
4 Ephemerate
4 Atraxa, Grand Unifier
4 Psychic Frog
4 Polluted Delta
4 Solitude
4 Quantum Riddler
4 Marsh Flats
4 Faithful Mending
3 Force of Negation
3 Prismatic Ending
2 Flooded Strand
1 Swamp
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Island
1 Undercity Sewers
1 Shadowy Backstreet
1 Watery Grave
1 Plains
1 Griselbrand
1 Hedge Maze
1 Meticulous Archive
1 Godless Shrine
1 Sink into Stupor
1 Subtlety
1 Ketramose, the New Dawn
1 Teferi, Time Raveler
1 Priest of Fell Rites
4 Consign to Memory
2 Thoughtseize
2 Wrath of the Skies
2 Nihil Spellbomb
1 Teferi, Time Raveler
1 Subtlety
1 Pest Control
1 Mystical Dispute
1 Celestial Purge
Esper Goryo’s aims to discard
But Esper Goryo’s is not just a graveyard combo deck. Between
4 Thoughtcast
4 Kappa Cannoneer
4 Mox Opal
4 Mishra’s Bauble
4 Urza’s Saga
4 Pinnacle Emissary
4 Springleaf Drum
4 Memnite
4 Thought Monitor
4 Spirebluff Canal
4 Ornithopter
3 Metallic Rebuke
2 Steam Vents
2 Darksteel Citadel
2 Cranial Plating
2 Shivan Reef
1 Island
1 Lavaspur Boots
1 Shadowspear
1 Tormod’s Crypt
1 Otawara, Soaring City
3 Whipflare
3 Blood Moon
3 Consign to Memory
3 Force of Negation
2 Galvanic Blast
1 Pithing Needle
Affinity thrives on artifact synergies, quickly enabling metalcraft for powerful resources.
Multiple builds see play. The most prominent one relies on
4 Flooded Strand
4 Ephemerate
4 Quantum Riddler
4 Solitude
4 Marsh Flats
4 Thoughtseize
4 Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd
4 Fatal Push
4 Overlord of the Balemurk
4 Witch Enchanter
3 Flickerwisp
3 Emperor of Bones
2 Plains
2 Godless Shrine
2 Teferi, Time Raveler
1 Swamp
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Meticulous Archive
1 Watery Grave
1 Polluted Delta
1 Shadowy Backstreet
1 Boggart Trawler
1 Undercity Sewers
4 Consign to Memory
3 White Orchid Phantom
3 Wrath of the Skies
2 High Noon
2 Clarion Conqueror
1 Damping Sphere
Like Esper Goryo’s, Esper Blink thrives on the potent synergy between
Esper Blink can grind effectively in drawn-out battles, and its greatest strength is a flexible, interactive game plan. With
4 Dragon’s Rage Channeler
4 Expressive Iteration
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Scalding Tarn
4 Preordain
4 Mutagenic Growth
4 Cori-Steel Cutter
4 Mishra’s Bauble
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Slickshot Show-Off
4 Lava Dart
3 Steam Vents
3 Arid Mesa
2 Mountain
2 Fiery Islet
2 Violent Urge
2 Wooded Foothills
1 Thundering Falls
1 Bloodstained Mire
4 Unholy Heat
4 Consign to Memory
2 Spell Pierce
2 Surgical Extraction
1 Spell Snare
1 Into the Flood Maw
1 Murktide Regent
At its core, Izzet Prowess is built for speed. With
4 Territorial Kavu
4 Arid Mesa
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer
4 Leyline of the Guildpact
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Phlage, Titan of Fire’s Fury
4 Leyline Binding
4 Scion of Draco
4 Flooded Strand
3 Stubborn Denial
3 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker
2 Arena of Glory
2 Doorkeeper Thrull
1 Temple Garden
1 Plains
1 Steam Vents
1 Mountain
1 Thundering Falls
1 Indatha Triome
1 Lush Portico
1 Consign to Memory
1 Blood Crypt
1 Sacred Foundry
3 Consign to Memory
2 Nihil Spellbomb
2 Wrath of the Skies
2 Mystical Dispute
1 Clarion Conqueror
1 Doorkeeper Thrull
1 Wear
1 Pest Control
1 Damping Sphere
1 Stubborn Denial
Domain Zoo is a disruptive aggro deck that leverages a variety of dual and three-color lands to unleash the full power of
Synergies deepen when
4 Pyretic Ritual
4 Reckless Impulse
4 Ruby Medallion
4 Mountain
4 Desperate Ritual
4 Wrenn’s Resolve
4 Manamorphose
4 Ral, Monsoon Mage
3 Past in Flames
3 Scalding Tarn
3 Arid Mesa
2 Wish
2 Bloodstained Mire
2 Valakut Awakening
2 Wooded Foothills
2 Artist’s Talent
2 Glimpse the Impossible
2 Strike It Rich
1 Gemstone Caverns
1 Elegant Parlor
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Grapeshot
1 Sunbaked Canyon
4 Prismatic Ending
4 Orim’s Chant
2 Fire Magic
1 Past in Flames
1 Grapeshot
1 Empty the Warrens
1 Galvanic Relay
1 Glimpse the Impossible
Ruby Storm is a blisteringly fast combo deck centered around
The core game plan is to cast a storm of spells in a single turn, flash them back with
4 Utopia Sprawl
4 Ugin’s Labyrinth
4 Forest
4 Eldrazi Temple
4 Kozilek’s Command
4 Malevolent Rumble
4 Sowing Mycospawn
4 Talisman of Impulse
4 Herigast, Erupting Nullkite
4 Wooded Foothills
3 Emrakul, the Promised End
3 Kozilek’s Return
3 Icetill Explorer
2 Stomping Ground
2 Devourer of Destiny
2 World Breaker
1 Commercial District
1 Sanctum of Ugin
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Windswept Heath
3 Trinisphere
3 Disruptor Flute
2 Dismember
2 Surgical Extraction
2 Void Mirror
1 Vexing Bauble
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Soulless Jailer
Like Eldrazi Tron, Eldrazi Ramp is fueled by powerful lands like
Lately, many Eldrazi Ramp players have found success with
4 Flooded Strand
4 Narset, Parter of Veils
4 Solitude
4 Orim’s Chant
3 Hallowed Fountain
3 Prismatic Ending
3 Teferi, Time Raveler
2 Day’s Undoing
2 Island
2 Meticulous Archive
2 Mystic Gate
2 Plains
2 Spell Snare
2 Supreme Verdict
2 Consult the Star Charts
2 Counterspell
2 Wrath of the Skies
2 Scalding Tarn
2 Force of Negation
1 Lórien Revealed
1 Geier Reach Sanitarium
1 Otawara, Soaring City
1 Subtlety
1 Isochron Scepter
1 Monumental Henge
1 Marsh Flats
1 March of Otherworldly Light
1 Watery Grave
1 Thundering Falls
1 Arid Mesa
4 Consign to Memory
3 Mystical Dispute
2 Celestial Purge
2 Surgical Extraction
1 Kaheera, the Orphanguard
1 Spell Snare
1 Isochron Scepter
1 High Noon
Azorius Control seeks to dictate the pace of the game through efficient interaction. The deck runs almost no creatures, which renders opposing creature removal largely useless while simultaneously unlocking
The central distinction among Azorius Control builds lies in whether they embrace
4 Arboreal Grazer
4 Amulet of Vigor
4 Simic Growth Chamber
4 Crumbling Vestige
4 Primeval Titan
4 Spelunking
4 Urza’s Saga
3 Gruul Turf
3 Scapeshift
3 Summoner’s Pact
3 Boseiju, Who Endures
3 Explore
2 Forest
2 Lotus Field
2 Green Sun’s Zenith
1 Echoing Deeps
1 Otawara, Soaring City
1 Tolaria West
1 Shifting Woodland
1 Aftermath Analyst
1 Hanweir Battlements
1 Mirrorpool
1 Vesuva
1 The Mycosynth Gardens
1 Urza’s Cave
1 Hedge Maze
3 Dismember
2 Vexing Bauble
2 Mystical Dispute
1 Collector Ouphe
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Green Sun’s Zenith
1 Force of Vigor
1 Soul-Guide Lantern
1 Keen-Eyed Curator
1 Six
1 Forest
Amulet Titan is one of Modern’s most intricate ramp decks, built around the explosive synergy between
Most Amulet Titan decks use
4 Persist
4 Thoughtseize
4 Fatal Push
4 Unearth
4 Abhorrent Oculus
4 Archon of Cruelty
4 Psychic Frog
4 Faithless Looting
4 Polluted Delta
4 Bloodstained Mire
4 Thought Scour
3 Emperor of Bones
2 Watery Grave
2 Swamp
2 Spell Pierce
1 Undercity Sewers
1 Raucous Theater
1 Blood Crypt
1 Island
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Steam Vents
1 Troll of Khazad-dûm
4 Consign to Memory
2 Pyroclasm
2 Meltdown
2 Mystical Dispute
2 Harbinger of the Seas
2 Surgical Extraction
1 Nihil Spellbomb
Grixis Reanimator employs
While the deck’s 18 lands may seem low for a deck without additional MDFCs or artifact mana, it fits the deck because nearly every spell that is intended to be cast costs only one or two mana. Moreover, a suite of one-mana card-draw effects help make your land drops.
4 Neoform
4 Planar Genesis
4 Eldritch Evolution
4 Misty Rainforest
4 Allosaurus Rider
4 Summoner’s Pact
4 Pact of Negation
4 Consign to Memory
3 Hedge Maze
3 Flooded Strand
3 Generous Ent
2 Ghalta, Stampede Tyrant
2 Disciple of Freyalise
2 Veil of Summer
2 Bridgeworks Battle
1 Griselbrand
1 Breeding Pool
1 Hooting Mandrills
1 Xenagos, God of Revels
1 Boseiju, Who Endures
1 Atraxa, Grand Unifier
1 Forest
1 Island
1 Ureni, the Song Unending
1 Nourishing Shoal
1 Windswept Heath
4 Mystical Dispute
2 Veil of Summer
2 Hooting Mandrills
2 Nature’s Claim
2 Into the Flood Maw
2 Hexdrinker
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
Simic Neoform aims to sneak
Towering above them all is
4 Counterspell
4 Thoughtseize
4 Fatal Push
4 Psychic Frog
4 Polluted Delta
3 Watery Grave
3 Subtlety
3 Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student
3 Orcish Bowmasters
3 Preordain
2 Force of Negation
2 Spell Snare
2 Undercity Sewers
2 Sink into Stupor
2 Island
2 Darkslick Shores
2 Sheoldred’s Edict
2 Kaito, Bane of Nightmares
2 Murktide Regent
2 Flooded Strand
1 Cling to Dust
1 Swamp
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Gloomlake Verge
1 Bloodstained Mire
4 Consign to Memory
2 Stern Scolding
2 Harbinger of the Seas
2 Force of Negation
1 Nihil Spellbomb
1 Dreams of Steel and Oil
1 Mystical Dispute
1 Cut Down
1 Kaito, Bane of Nightmares
Dimir Midrange remains a premier interactive midrange deck in Modern, utilizing a mix of countermagic, discard effects, and removal spells to dismantle opposing plans. With
At the same time, Dimir Midrange wields formidable threats that can quickly seize control of a game. A turn-two
What might Magic‘s latest set add to Modern? Magic: The Gathering | Marvel’s Spider-Man will be legal at Pro Tour Edge of Eternities, and several standout synergies from this set have already caught my eye.
Doc Ock’s Tentacles [3wG5fg575sAj2DtoX3a7t4]Peter Parker’s Camera [6e0psm1Q4EMslgjAMMIpi3]
I’m intrigued by Doc Ock’s Tentacles and Peter Parker’s Camera, which might find a home in Izzet Affinity as
Eldrazi Ramp decks may be interested in Spider-Punk to circumvent
Lady Octopus, Inspired Inventor lets you cast
Walking Ballista
Strength of Will introduces a unique suite of abilities that enables an infinite combo. With
Thud
Three-card combos may ultimately be too unreliable to make the cut, but it’s worth pointing out a new way for Domain Zoo decks to win on turn three. After using
Carnage, Crimson Chaos [5bcOV1lUPwdYqYMXjTmgYk]
Besides web-slinging, the new set also introduces the mayhem ability, which works well with
I can’t wait to see what the Pro Tour metagame will look like, and we won’t have to wait long to find out. Pro Tour Edge of Eternities takes place September 26–28, featuring Edge of Eternities Draft and Modern Constructed.
You can experience the excitement in person at MagicCon: Atlanta, or you can follow the action live on YouTube or Twitch on all three days. With $500,000 in prizes on the line and the best players in the world battling for glory, it promises to be a showcase of high-level gameplay. Ultimately, the champion will add their name to competitive Magic history.
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