Modern Wishlist Cards!

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The 2016 Players' Championship field is set!

The final #SCGINVI of the calendar year is always a historic event and this past weekend in Atlanta was no different. In 2014, Dylan Donegan's win brought not only him to the StarCityGames.com Players' Championship but also helped to qualify Steven Mann. In 2015, Caleb Scherer had to win 13 matches in a row at the Las Vegas Invitational to qualify for the #SCGPC. And Jacob Baugh's win last weekend is sending not only him to the Star City Game Center, but also the 2015 SCGPC runner-up, Todd Anderson.

For Baugh, this win was a long time coming. Not the biggest personality on the SCG Tour, Jacob generally flew under the radar all year long. But it was great deck selection (Naya Aetherworks and Dredge), great play (his semifinals match versus Adam Snook was incredibly well played) and a little bit of luck that led him to becoming the Atlanta Invitational champion. His reward? An invite and flight to the Players' Championship, an invite and flight to Pro Tour Aether Revolt for his first Pro Tour, his name and likeness on a StarCityGames.com Energy token, byes and free entry into every StarCityGames.com Open and StarCityGames.com Classic for Season One of the 2017 SCG Tour, and $10,000!

16 players. $50,000 at stake. December 17-18 can't get here soon enough!

Cedric Phillips, Media Manager @CedricAPhillips

 

Results
Results

Jacob Baugh's marvelous performance nets victory!

Results

Brennan DeCandio claims title with B/G Delirium!

Results

Caleb Scherer Dredges up Classic win!

Results

Lee Steht gets there with Esper Aggro!

 

Results
Results
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Editor's Picks
The Line Between What's Deserved, And What's Earned

Wanna talk about a stressful couple of days? Todd Anderson can tell you all about his in Atlanta! Putting up a great performance at the #SCGINVI was step one to get Todd to the SCGPC, but his tiebreakers were unkind and showed him 17th place. His only out? Jacob Baugh winning the tournament. Today, Todd recounts what it all felt like.

 

Video: Magic 2013 Flashback Draft!

Magic 2013 is widely considered to be one of the best limited formats of all time. So when it came back to Magic Online, Sam Black couldn't pass it up. Flashback drafts are always fun, and if you liked Chronomaton, Switcheroo, or Disciple of Bolas, this video shouldn't be missed.

 

Heart Of Kiran, New Ajani, Scrap Trawler, And Dredge!

With so much focus on the Players' Championship, it's easy to forget that Aether Revolt is right around the corner. We've already seen a few previews and it's not hard to get excited. This week, Shaun McLaren takes a stab at Heart of Kiran, Ajani Unyielding, Scrap Trawler, and more!

 

Match of the Week

The #SCGINVI semifinals match of Jacob Baugh vs. Adam Snook turned out to be one of the most intense matches of the weekend. Can Baugh's Aetherworks Marvel hit when it matters most? Find out!

Match of the Week video

 

What I'd Play At The Open Series

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

Charging Cinderhorn card preview

 

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

Grenzo, Dungeon Warden card preview

 

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

Selfless Squire card preview

 

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

Teferi, Temporal Archmage card preview

 

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

Baleful Strix card preview

 

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

Sanctum Prelate card preview

 

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

Leovold, Emissary of Trest card preview

 

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

Karlov of the Ghost Council card preview

 

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

Containment Priest card preview

 

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

Bane of Progress card preview

 

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

 

Road To The Player's Championship

The 2016 StarCityGames.com Player of the Year race came down to the very last event with Tom Ross and Jeff Hoogland fighting for the title at the Season Three Invitational in Atlanta last weekend. Neither player had a great weekend, leading to Ross taking the title by squeaking into Day 2 at 5-3 while Hoogland failed to make the second day of competition. Though Ross would drop from the Invitational after a Round 9 loss on Day 2, The Boss locked up the title of Player of the Year as both looked to 2017 by battling in the Standard Open. For Ross, it was a year full of success, using eight Open Top 8s and three wins along with an Invitational Top 8 to help him earn the Player of the Year accolade.

As for the yearly point leaders that weren't already qualified for the Players' Championship, the three players in position to qualify all held on at the #SCGINVI. Joe Lossett, Todd Stevens, and Caleb Scherer managed to not get jumped, benefitting from the players on their heels earning qualifications in Season Three. Lossett skipped the Invitational, knowing he was as close to a lock as there was, and clinched once his nightmare scenarios couldn't happen. Stevens secured a Top 16 finish to confirm his spot in the #SCGPC and Scherer made Top 64 to stay ahead of Todd Anderson in the yearly race.

In the Season Three race, Brad Carpenter was a big favorite to make the Players' Championship and did his part of making Day 2 at the Invitational to not be passable by three other players. The rest of the slots were up for grabs. Ted Felicetti failed to make Day 2, leaving the door open for him to be passed by two players. His competition showed up, however, as Jacob Baugh, Brad Nelson, and Todd Anderson put together finishes good enough to pass him.

SCG Tour Leaderboard
SCG Tour Leaderboard

Nelson and Anderson finished in the Top 32 as Baugh made the Top 8 to guarantee a spot in the Players' Championship. Nelson locked his spot with his finish, but Anderson was on the outside looking in. Anderson had a shot to make it, though, needing Baugh to win the #SCGINVI or for Jim Davis to beat Baugh in the finals to get his invite from Season Three or an additional at large from Davis, who was already qualified for the #SCGPC. When Baugh defeated Ben Friedman in the finals of the Invitational, he carried Anderson with him to the Players' Championship, finalizing the field for the 2016 #SCGPC.

With the standings and races finished, all eyes turn to the Players' Championship. Join the @SCGLive crew for all the action on Dec. 17-18 on twitch.tv/SCGLive and find out who will be the 2016 Players' Champion!

 

Game Night

 

Cardboard Crack

 

Invitational Qualifier announcement

 

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