Tournament Magic is in a strange place right now. Despite Seth Manfield's best efforts to convince us otherwise, Standard is a pretty dull format with three incredibly well-defined and tuned decks dominating everything. With that said, Modern is not without its problems. Dredge and Infect are considered format boogeymen at a level previously only enjoyed by Twin and Affinity, and the rest of the metagame has warped around them. The tier two decks are better-positioned, but there is still a significant gap between the top decks and the next level. There are multiple suggestions on things that could make Modern better, and one of the more popular ways to do so is to add some cards that are currently not Modern-legal. With that in mind, here is my list of 10 cards I wish we could play in Modern. This will be focused on supplemental sets as opposed to just Legacy cards, since I don't like making Modern into Legacy-lite. #10 Charging Cinderhorn
It might not seem like much, but it would be very useful in Modern against decks like Lantern Control that all but ruin any chance you have of winning through the combat step. As a 4/2 for 3R with haste, the body is not disgraceful, and that triggered ability is somewhat reminiscent of Sulfuric Vortex. Your life total is likely going to be higher and they aren't going to be attacking, so the damage should mount up fairly quickly. It's also immune to Abrupt Decay, Inquisition of Kozilek and Pithing Needle. If you're able to actually draw the card, it could end the game. #9 Grenzo, Dungeon Warden
I have always liked this card, and it could be just what Goblins needs to become a player in Modern. Casting Grenzo with X=1 will ensure you can put almost any Goblin in the format on to the battlefield for a mere two mana. As he is a Goblin himself, Grenzo also benefits from any buffs you may get from Goblin Chieftain or Goblin King, allowing us to cast and activate on turn four and likely hit something. We're not limited to Goblins of course, and cards like Avalanche Riders and Fulminator Mage can get ugly in a hurry. Stretching into other colors, Hornet Queen is a pretty nice hit. The "bottom of the library" clause seems random, but we have Jotun Grunt and Reito Lantern to fix that. #8 Selfless Squire
So you want to attack for a bunch of damage at once? No blocks. Good luck on the back swing, my friend. I am in love with this card, and I wish I could justify playing it in Legacy. It's just a touch too slow for that format, but in Modern we often tick our Aether Vials to four or have four mana open for the likes of Restoration Angel. We get to stop Elves and Kiki Chord from going off, and then in return we have this huge creature that will return the favor with interest...likely into a tapped-out opponent. It stops all damage in a turn too, so something like Scapeshift cannot get around the prevention. #7 Teferi, Temporal Archmage
This one is mostly because I want to play it with Doubling Season. Instant-speed Planeswalker activations? Yes, please. A six-mana Planeswalker isn't likely to break anything wide open, but the abilities are all sweet and play into what the Doubling Walkers deck wants to be doing. Could blue control decks play the card? Perhaps, if they switched to a more Planeswalker-centric build. Untapping four permanents can conveniently leave up Cryptic Command mana, and that card filtering is very powerful when you are digging for answers. #6 Baleful Strix
A few people think Baleful Strix is too good for Modern, but I don't see it. The card is very good and would see a lot of play, but it is not the sort of card that I would consider overpowered. It's a blocking-based removal spell much like Stinkweed Imp, but instead of dredging it only draws you a card. Thopter Sword decks might love it, and Ojutai's Command might see more play if this ever happens, but those aren't reasons to exclude it. It's a solid utility card that I would love to sleeve up. #5 Sanctum Prelate
A walking Chalice of the Void sounds amazing, right? I'd agree, and Sanctum Prelate even has the upside of denying spells of the chosen mana cost as opposed to countering them. No Abrupt Decay for you! With that said, we are very unlikely to cast the Prelate on turn one, which is one of the biggest draws to Chalice of the Void. It's also vulnerable to more removal, which is more than a fair trade for the ability to attack with it. As a safety valve for the combo decks in the format, Sanctum Prelate deserves a spot in Modern. #4 Leovold, Emissary of Trest
Sultai decks have seen some fringe play in the format, but they have always seemed to be lacking something that Esper and Grixis can provide: premium one-mana removal. Leovold doesn't fix that, but he does make the game very interesting in a host of other ways. Shutting down your opponent's Faithless Looting, Cathartic Reunion and Serum Visions is good, as is giving you a chance to draw a counterspell before any of your stuff gets removed. A 3/3 body for three mana, a relevant creature type, and the whole Collected Company thing just adds extra points. Leovold would provide a nice counter to Jeskai control decks that want to remove everything while digging to a win condition, while also giving the player some interesting deckbuilding decisions. #3 Karlov of the Ghost Council
Another personal favorite, this card is exactly what Soul Sisters needs to make it to top tier status. Am I slightly biased? No, I am actually completely biased, but I am writing the list so I can be as biased as I want. Getting six counters on Karlov in most decks would be very difficult, but Soul Sisters could conceivably do so by turn three...and every turn thereafter. He's still vulnerable to removal, and the ability isn't free, but it would bring a new archetype into consideration for Modern. #2 Containment Priest
Many who have read my weekly articles would have expected this to be number one, but that honor is reserved for a different card. My burning need for a foil printing aside, Containment Priest actually does a lot to help the current metagame. Dredge and Chord of Calling decks have to remove the Priest before they can do anything, and the fact that it has flash can allow for some Prized Amalgam—exiling shenanigans. It's a powerful hate card that puts the brakes on some of the best decks in the format without engendering the feeling of helplessness that cards like Blood Moon can evoke. #1 Bane of Progress
Not many of you will have seen this one coming, but I think the Bane is beautifully positioned to do some real damage in Modern. The 4GG cost will prevent it from completely ruining the playability of artifacts and enchantments in the format, but the fact that it's in green does make it a playable answer to Affinity, Bogles, and Lantern thanks to Chord of Calling and Eldritch Evolution. With a base power of two we can even play it in an Alesha, Who Smiles at Death deck (since that deck already wants green mana) as an alternative to the normal artifact hate cards. Bane of Progress can get really big of course, but the lack of trample helps mitigate that somewhat. If we want to power down the artifact—and enchantment-focused decks, this would be a fun way to do it. — Chris Lansdell, @Lansdellicious |
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