Every weekend, Modern challenges on MTGO showcase the format’s top decks and attract hundreds of great players looking to battle. What decks topped the tournaments this weekend?
Tons of archetypes of years’ past did well this week, plus yet another shell for Atraxa to shine in!
MTGO Friday Challenge Results
5C Creativity - Alan07
BR “Scam” Midrange - christiano7
Mono-Blue Tron - shoktroopa
Mono-Blue Affinity - Tezzey
5C Creativity - DarthStone
Mono-White Humans - qbturtle15
5C Rhinos - SoIMBAGallade
UR Murktide - ejk
Full list here
Direct links courtesy of Reddit u/FereMiyJeenyus and their MTGO Results Scraper.
MTGO Saturday Morning Challenge Results
Yawgmoth - AwesomPossum
Jund Midrange - Gabriel_Sylar
Sultai Food - summon_legend
Merfolk - mashmalovsky
UW Hammer - Parrit
5C Creativity - SkepasG
Mono-White Humans - qbturtle15
UW Hammer - CrouchingPig
Full list here
Direct links courtesy of Reddit u/FereMiyJeenyus and their MTGO Results Scraper.
MTGO Saturday Night Challenge Results
Yawgmoth - TheTunnelingCat
4C Creativity - twister66
Oops! All Spells - Aigis
UR Murktide - xfile
5C Creativity - Darkvulpine
Jund Goryo’s Food - susurrus_mtg
Domain Zoo - quinniac
UW Hammer - Roberto777
Full list here
Direct links courtesy of Reddit u/FereMiyJeenyus and their MTGO Results Scraper.
MTGO Sunday Challenge Results
UR Murktide - boytriton
5C Omnath - Ecstasy233
BR “Scam” Midrange - CVXW
UR Murktide - Dotta
BR “Scam” Midrange - christiano7
UW Hammer - kanister
Burn - errkster
UR Murktide - Remeliers
Full list here
Direct links courtesy of Reddit u/FereMiyJeenyus and their MTGO Results Scraper.
MTGO Modern Challenge Top Decks
Oops, Game Over
Let’s start with maybe the wildest-looking list from this weekend. Pilot Aigis made the top four Saturday night with what they call “Slow Oops!”
The general strategy with Oops lists is to use Undercity Informer or Balustrade Spy to mill your entire deck since you don’t play any lands (hence the name). Previous Modern lists would win with Vengevine and Creeping Chill, but this version has a more methodical approach.
The primary plan is to win with Thassa’s Oracle. If you don’t have one of the four copies in your hand when you turn over your entire deck, the one-of Unburial Rites can reanimate an Oracle to win. If your opponent prevents the Oracle from coming in that turn, thanks to Angel’s Grace and Memory’s Journey you can get another try, even with an empty library.
The secondary plan is to just cast and activate Goblin Charbelcher, winning on the spot since you have no lands. Lotus Bloom helps create enough mana for either plan, and Grief lets you know if the coast is clear. Will this slower version that can fight through graveyard hate start putting up results?
Asmo Artifacts
Now to another deck that can win with Thassa’s Oracle. Making the top four Saturday morning, summon_legend shows off an incredibly unique take on Sultai Food!
This version revolves around the brand-new Unctus, Grand Metatect. Not only does it pump your other artifact creatures, like Urza’s Saga constructs and Academy Manufactor, but it lets you loot whenever another blue creature gets tapped. Fatestitcher becomes much better when each activation comes with a free loot, and with two Fatestitchers, you can draw your entire library and win instantly with Thassa’s Oracle.
The graveyard synergies continue thanks to Sarinth Steelseeker and Unearth, plus the traditional Food combo of discarding Ovalchase Daredevil with The Underworld Cookbook. Finale of Devastation is usually used to put Asmoranomardicadaistinaculdacar onto the battlefield for two mana, but can also find a missing piece to the game-winning combo or whatever creature can give you the most value at the time.
Hello, Humans
Mono-White Humans is a real deck! Qburtle15 made the top eight Friday and Saturday with the same 75. The Shining Shoal Special seems like the perfect counter to many top decks.
Twelve one-mana creatures ensure you’ll always have a turn-one play to start the aggression early. Thalia and Anointed Peacekeeper provide disruption, and Luminarch Aspirant and Adeline are must-answer threats that quickly snowball if left around too long.
Cavern of Souls helps against decks full of counterspells, like Murktide, and Solitude and Shining Shoal have to always be on your opponent’s mind thanks to their ability to be cast for free. Plus, you get some of the best anti-graveyard and combo creatures in the sideboard, a full four copies each of Sanctifier en-Vec, Drannith Magistrate, and Containment Priest.
Who Needs Elesh Norn?
Last but not least, another deck Atraxa excels in! Ecstasy233 decided that with the extra mana Omnath can create, why not throw in a seven-mana creature that can win the game on its own? A couple of copies of Goryo’s Vengeance can help cheat it out of the graveyard, too.
Along the way, you get to play some of the best cards in Modern, like Ragavan, Wrenn and Six, and Teferi, Time Raveler. Mana Leak is the counterspell of choice because of all the color requirements, but the assortment of mana lets you run both Leyline Binding and Prismatic Ending to answer anything that gets in your way.
Omnath is still a powerhouse, and the threat of Atraxa means your opponent needs to be careful about allowing you extra mana. Shadow Prophecy is a great way to dig for what you need and fills your graveyard so you can reanimate Omnath or Atraxa if you find a Goryo’s Vengeance. Plus, you get to play Jegantha as your companion!
Rest of the Best
Yawgmoth won both Saturday challenges, thanks to AwesomPossum and TheTunnelingCat, with very similar lists. While Yawgmoth is a known commodity, it can be very hard to interact with thanks to its ability to combo at instant speed and toolbox of creatures that can be tutored for with Chord of Calling and Eldritch Evolution.
Alan07 came in first place on Friday with the five-color version of Creativity, opting for Persist and Leyline Binding. Regardless of the colors, Fable of the Mirror Breaker, Dwarven Mine, Indomitable Creativity, and Archon of Cruelty are a winning combination.
Murktide is back to its usual numbers, winning the Sunday challenge in the hands of boytriton. The numbers of certain cards continue to fluctuate here and there, but it’s still the same powerful deck it’s always been.
Other popular decks like BR “Scam,” Rhinos, and Hammer also put up results this weekend, as did less-common strategies like Burn, Merfolk, Jund, Tron, and Affinity. Christiano7 made the Top 8 Sunday and the finals Friday with Scam - very impressive! The Food-themed Goryo’s Vengeance list made the Top 8 on Saturday, proving just how powerful Atraxa is.
Trends and Takeaways
Most successful Burn lists still aren’t playing Eidolon of the Great Revel, like errkster’s top-eight effort. They also played two Exquisite Firecraft in the main deck for extra help against Murktide, which paid off.
Speaking of Murktide, several lists lately are tuned to combat the counterspells from Murktide and other top blue decks like Creativity. Decks like Mill and Dredge win on a different axis can be one way to fight them, but can struggle with other archetypes or specific hate.
Amulet Titan is nowhere to be found, possibly due to the Blood Moon effects in top decks lately. More lists are trying to utilize or fight against the graveyard now, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Titan is on the upswing in the coming weeks.
Finally, Atraxa is still incredibly powerful, and I’d be surprised if we didn’t continue to see it in lists trying to cheat it onto the battlefield as soon as possible. Will we see yet another way to do that in a winning list next week?
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