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MTGO Modern League 5-0 Results (01/25/2022)

Updated: Feb 1, 2022



Modern 5-0 Results

Full Results

Direct links courtesy of /u/FereMiyJeenyus and their MTGO Results Scraper


Summary

  • Wizards posts 5-0 League drops every Tuesday and Friday, rain or shine. Holidays are the exception.

  • The criteria of decks showing up is a 20 card difference from other decks, per Wizards. So 20 Jund lists 5-0'ing may result in only one or two Jund lists showing in the dump.

  • Don't take League results as true metagame share, as the above removes the number of results.

  • Naming is best guess. Feel free to correct it in the comments and I will edit it in.

  • I will highlight anything interesting, of course depending on time. Old Favorites will have decks that haven't been showing up in a while or classics, Spicy Decks will have new and unique decks, and Interesting Tech will have existing and meta decks that have some interesting new cards.

  • I primarily save my more opinionated opinions for the bottom.


Old Favorites

  • R Eldrazi: Red Eldrazi is one of those decks that pops up infrequently and has some really dedicated pilots constantly innovating on the archetype. Notable adds, to me, aside from MH2 cards, were the MDFCs. They help with the deck's poor topdeck mode and grant it some much-needed consistency. Maybe we are just one good impulse draw card away from R Eldrazi having serious legs?

  • GRw Zoo: A real classic one here with Hidden Herbalists, Narnam Renegade, and Atarka's Command. This list is straight out of 2018 with some modern upgrades including Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer and Gallia of the Endless Dance. Technically Naya, with Thalia, Guardian of Thraben in the board.

  • Bant StoneBlade: A popular deck pre MH2 that has dropped below the radar. However, Spell Queller is still a great card to surprise the opponent with, and Stoneforge Mystic got a major upgrade from Kaldra Compleat. That being said it can't be understated that MH2's Prismatic Ending and the addition of Counterspell really help the deck hang.

  • Esper Death's Shadow (Lurrus): Now this is a deck that hasn't been seen in quite a while! 2019 is the last League & Challenge appearance for the archetype. Giver of Runes was a big add to the least common Death's Shadow in MH1, giving it a lot of reach backed up by good disruption. Here, we've got Meddling Mage and Tidehollow Sculler but also Dauthi Voidwalker for some amazing graveyard hate and Esper Sentinel to get your opponents to pay the one.


Spicy Decks

  • BG Frog Titan: What. Yes, you read this list correctly, that is an Amulet Titan shell but with Dread Presence, The Gitrog Monster and Heartless Summoning. Whoever did this, I'm in awe. Dread Presence gives another way to kill with Dryad of the Ilysian Grove that dodges Alpine Moon. Gitrog Monster profits off the sheer number of lands Amulet plays, and Heartless Summoning makes Azusa +8 mana with just a single Amulet and a Bounceland (and can trigger Dread Presence, etc).

  • UB Food Reanimator: B Food Reanimator has popped up a few times in the past months as an experimental deck getting back Archon of Cruelty and profiting off all the food with Asmoranomardicadaistinaculdacar. But here someone realized 'oh that's a lot of artifacts' and added in Thought Monitor and Urza, Lord High Artificer to enormously profit off the sheer number of food and blood tokens being generated.

  • UG Upheaval Titan (Yorion): Amulet pilots are really showing off today. Who doesn't love bouncing the board to hand with Upheaval? Trinket Mage finding Amulet of Vigor to bump up the Urza's Saga numbers gives Upheaval a way smaller chance of being a symmetrical effect when you can replay the board with bouncelands and floating mana.

  • Temur Tron (Jegantha): Now technically, it's only Temur because of Hydroid Krasis and Gut Shot, otherwise it's very similar to U Tron. But dumping 6+ mana into a big Hydroid Krasis is sick, especially since it's a cast trigger. Of a special note is Solemn Simulacrum to get the Islands in a pinch—that's a card that hasn't been seen in Modern in quite some time.

  • UR Magda Urza: Arguably, also just Not!Affinity like the UW Artifacts list. Magda making tokens with Holdout Settlement or Springleaf Drum is a cool line, especially as it enables instant speed Cranial Platings.

  • UG Sprawlfolk: Merfolk, but with the mana acceleration of Utopia Sprawl and the incredible power of Collected Company. Notably, this takes the place of the interaction U Merfolk package. Aside from Spreading Seas, Merfolk Trickster, and Tide Shaper, it's normal Merfolk creatures, no Force of Negation, no Archmange's Charm, no Dismember.

  • BR Goryo's Breach: Through the Breach? In my Modern? It's more likely than you think! Kudos to the pilot who sleeved (e-sleeved?) up Goryo's Vengeance, and Nourishing Shoal in a meta packing Force of Negation and Thoughtseize. But I'd imagine the chat log from the player hitting Autochthon Wurm with Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer was worth it. Of special note, this is a very 'old' modern deck, packing just Collective Brutality in the main, both as enabler and as interaction, and so I'm a bit surprised it made a 5-0. Kudos again to the pilot.

  • UG Wilderness Rec: It has been a minute since I've seen a deck using a full playset of Cryptic Command. In addition to that, there are 15 other counterspells, plus four Growth Spiral and the one-of Nexus of Fate. But there isn't just Ice Fang Coatl to win, there is also a single Hullbreaker Horror to both clock and get extra value out of late game Growth Spirals, especially on a jammed board even with infinite turns.

  • R Grinding Breach Storm: This is cool to see again. Birgi, God of Storytelling functions as a cost reducer, and along with Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer, turns on Mox Amber, which can be tapped and sac'ed to Grinding Station and replayed with Underworld Breach to keep the chain going. You net RR each time! Now, there have been plenty of Grinding Breach decks running blue to hold up counters and interaction to buy time/get the combo off. Here, it's Blood Moon to slow the opponent down!


Interesting Tech

  • Amulet Titan: Thank goodness, a normal build of Amulet Titan - wait what's this in the sideboard? Froghemoth? Hornet Queen!? I suppose that's one way to block a Dragon's Rage Channeler.

  • UW Artifacts (Yorion): Bumping to 80 cards gives the deck room for the playset of Urza, Lord High Artificer, bringing this close to the UW Urza archetype, but without the Thopter/Sword combo.

  • Esper Mill (Lurrus): UW? UB? Which mill is best, well why not both! Prismatic Ending from white and Crypt Incursion, Drown in the Loch from black shore up a lot of Mill's roadbumps. Crypt Incursion specifically makes that first game less of an auto loss to Burn.

  • UW Control: A very interesting choice here; even though the Kaheera, the Orphanguard requirement is met, there's no companion to be found.

  • 4c Elementals (Yorion): Some rarer includes in the main with Subtlety and Titania, Protector of Argoth. Oath of Nissa is also here to help cast those planeswalkers even with Cavern of Souls. The stretch between interaction, planeswalkers and the actual Elementals is a tightrope to balance, and while Oath isn't a new include I want to highlight it.


 

What are your thoughts on this 5-0 list? Know of any spicy brews that are right on the cusp of making it? Let us know in the comments below!


 

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