| With nearly 13 years of cards in the format, Modern is full of choices for deckbuilding. Each set brings new mechanics to the table, but only some stand the test of time. The recent Modern Open at #SCGDFW shows that Modern is in a great place right now. Plenty of archetypes use all sorts of powerful cards and mechanics, so today we'll talk about the 10 mechanics I find to be the most powerful in the format. These mechanics allow you to gain mana and card advantages against your opponent, or even stop them from interacting with your game plan! #10 Hexproof 
Modern is a format defined by its removal. While we're happy to see spells like Murder and Incendiary Flow coming to standard in Eldritch Moon, Modern is ruled by the likes of Lightning Bolt, Path to Exile, Dismember, and Terminate. Hexproof creatures turn off huge chunks of many Modern decks, and allow decks like G/W Hexproof to be a viable strategy instead of a risk of two-for-ones. Similarly, giving yourself Hexproof via Leyline of Sanctity can stop powerful cards like Thoughtseize, Lava Spike, and even two-thirds of Liliana of the Veil. #9 Cascade 
Cascade is a particularly interesting mechanic, because it can be used in two ways: as a tutor or a value engine. The Living End deck in Modern doesn't include any cards with a converted mana cost less than Violent Outburst or Demonic Dread so they will always cascade into Living End, an incredibly powerful spell when you can cast it at instant speed for three mana. On the other hand, Jund used to play Bloodbraid Elf and hope to cascade into powerful spells like Liliana of the Veil and Blightning, essentially getting a 3/2 with haste for only one "extra" mana. The latter was deemed too powerful for Modern, so Bloodbraid Elf joined its friend Shardless Agent in the land of Legacy. #8 Storm 
Mark Rosewater, head designer of Magic at Wizards of the Coast, has called Storm one of the most broken mechanics ever. He measures every mechanic's likelihood to return in a scale that goes from one to "Storm." No matter what R&D thinks of the mechanic, the Modern ban list has enough mana rituals and cantrips that storm isn't as powerful as it once was in the format. That said, the ability to gain dozens of extra copies of a spell, each of which must be countered separately, should not be underestimated. #7 Ramp 
Unlike most of this list, "ramp" never got a keyword. Whether you're using Noble Hierarch, Mox Opal, or Urza's Tower, getting ahead of your opponent on mana is a powerful play. There's a reason people say to "always bolt the bird"—using your Lightning Bolt on their Birds of Paradise allows you to trade evenly on cards and mana to avoid falling behind. Ramp allows the use of powerful spells that would otherwise be too slow for the format, in decks ranging from Scapeshift to Tron. It even enables new brews like Todd Stevens' Four-Color Planeswalkers! #6 Dredge 
Enough spells have been printed in the long history of Modern that you can build an entire deck full of cards that don't mind being in the graveyard. If you can turn your graveyard into your second "hand," then dredgers with high costs like the recently unbanned Golgari Grave‑Troll look an awful lot like "draw six cards." Plus, some of the spells are actually useful when you cast them! Repeatable value cards like Life from the Loam and Darkblast have been used even outside of dedicated graveyard-based decks throughout Modern. #5 Infect 
In a game where pump spells have been balanced against 20 life and a format where aggressive decks like Zoo and Burn cause people to pack incidental life gain, Infect shows its true power. Blocking with creatures like Wall of Omens and Spellskite only works for a few turns, as the -1/-1 counters chip away at their toughness. Life gained from Kitchen Finks and Lightning Helix won't slow the clock that doubles the effectiveness of Become Immense. #4 Delve 
Speaking of Become Immense, Delve is one of those sneaky mechanics that looks totally fair until you realize just how full the graveyard gets in Modern. Even if you aren't running cards like Thought Scour to speed up the process, fetch lands and cheap spells are plentiful. Reducing the cost of powerful cards to a single colored mana means powering out impactful spells early or while leaving mana left to do other things. Even after the banning of Treasure Cruise and Dig Through Time, delve cards like Gurmag Angler, Become Immense, and Tasigur, the Golden Fang continue to define the format. #3 Flashback 
Flashback is a form of card advantage that allows you to keep slinging spells without spending more cards. Whether it's printed directly on the card or added by Snapcaster Mage, Flashback is powerful and flexible. One litmus test I like to use for powerful mechanics is what it does to a boring card. Shatter is a pretty mediocre card, but Ancient Grudge sees wide modern sideboard play. Midnight Haunting is okay, but Lingering Souls is a powerhouse. #2 Flying 
Another reason Lingering Souls is so powerful is because Modern is unprepared for creatures with Flying. Even though it may be one of the first mechanics you learned when you started playing Magic, flying can sometimes read "unblockable" in Modern. Affinity takes advantage of this by deploying an early force of flying creatures, Infect sends Inkmoth Nexus into combat without fear, Vendilion Clique provides a quick clock, and even the new Dredge deck gets in on the action with Narcomoeba. #1 Phyrexian Mana 
One thing that has kept Magic balanced over the years is the color pie, or the division of certain abilities between the five colors. Playing more colors opens up more options, increasing power while decreasing consistency. However, Phyrexian mana breaks this distinction and allows any Modern deck to have access to effects like Dismember, Gut Shot, Surgical Extraction, and Gitaxian Probe. Before it was banned, Mental Misstep even gave everybody countermagic! Getting these powerful effects at two life or a single mana is a great rate, on par with what people are already willing to pay with shock lands. Magic is a game with rules, but interesting cards and mechanics are all about breaking those rules. Whether you're gaining a mana advantage against your opponent, avoiding their ability to interact with you and your game plan, or gaining card advantage bit by bit, these powerful mechanics will help you along the way. Having a better understanding of the mechanics that define the format will help you pick up a list from a recent event and battle in the Modern Classic at #SCGWOR! Have a wonderful week, and as always: happy gaming! — Jennifer Long, @TheMrsMulligan |
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