Ponza in Modern, circa July 2020
So, let’s take a look at this recent 5-0 list from MTGO.
As you can see, this list has many of the cards I talked about earlier in this primer. It plays 2 Chandra, ToD, 8 acceleration spells in Utopia Sprawl and Arbor Elf, the full playset of Bloodbraid Elf, and many of the other cards mentioned such as Pillage, Seasoned Pyromancer, and Bonecrusher Giant. Another notable addition that has gained traction since June 2019 is Glorybringer. Previously the deck played Stormbreath Dragon as its 5 mana hasty finisher, but Glorybringer happens to naturally line up well against Batterskull which was recently brought into the spotlight due to the Stoneforge Mystic unbanning. It also doubles as normal removal for many threats in the format (like Thought-Knot Seer in Eldrazi Tron) allowing you to push through for damage on the ground. Many other choices here are, however, tech choices. In fact, much of Ponza can be teched for your local metagame. In the next section I’ll cover popular and sometimes old card choices and when you should play them mainboard or sideboard.
Card Choices for Main and Side
Let’s break down this section by covering it into 4 parts. Acceleration, disruption, threats/utility, and lands. Afterwards, there will be a sideboard specific section.
Acceleration:
4x Arbor Elf – Your premier mana accelerant, can allow you to reach 4 mana on turn 2 with Utopia Sprawl and a 2nd land in your opening hand. Don’t play less than 4.
4x Utopia Sprawl – The same as Arbor Elf, opening one of these will net you 3 mana on turn 2 which is a priority for the deck. Don’t play less than 4. Be careful when enchanting lands with this, however, and try to only enchant basic Forests so that when you play Blood Moon your shocklands turn into mountains, leading to Utopia Sprawl being unable to enchant them because they are no longer forests.
0-2x Birds of Paradise – An option that used to see lots of play, however with the London Mulligan it is easier to see an accelerant and mulligan for one, so many lists are cutting the BoP entirely for stronger cards main. Your accelerants are terrible topdecks anyways, so I prefer to only run 8 accelerants nowadays.
Disruption:
3-4x Pillage – Pillage is a strong option for land disruption due to the ability to also hit artifacts as a secondary mode. If you have a heavy artifact metagame or simply love seeing the world burn, play 4 of these main-board. If you expect less artifacts I would only pack 3x.
0-4x Blood Moon/Magus of the Moon – Both Blood Moon and Magus of the Moon are strong cards depending on your meta. However, they both work in 2 different ways and you need to know when one is stronger than the other. Blood Moon is an enchantment so it cannot be removed by many traditional means, but it also can’t attack like Magus of the Moon can so extra copies usually end up fairly redundant. On the flip side, Magus of the Moon can be removed by many popular creature removal spells like Dismember, Fatal Push and Path to Exile. It being a creature is relevant though and the 2 damage it boasts on attack can sometimes mean the difference between closing out a game or not. They both line up poorly against fair manabases playing mainly basics such as Merfolk or other primarily red decks such as Burn or Mono Red Prowess. If you expect lots of the fair manabase decks, I would play 0 in your main and instead leave them in the sideboard. If you expect creature removal, play regular Blood Moon. If you don’t expect creature removal to be abundant, play Magus of the Moon.
0-4x Stone Rain/Molten Rain/Mwonvuli Acid-Moss – If you want to play traditional Ponza with more than 4 land destruction effects, these are your best bets. However I would urge against it as 8~ disruption effects are usually enough for you to close out games and these options are just outclassed by the other cards we’re using.
Threats and Utility:
4x Lightning Bolt – You should really always play 4 bolts. Hitting face, creatures, or walkers for 3 damage at 1 mana is too good of an effect to pass up. This will help free up attacks on the ground or close the game out during board stalls.
3-4x Bloodbraid Elf – You’ve already heard me praise BBE many times in this primer already, so I don’t need to explain why this card is great. If you’re playing large amounts of 3 mana threats, play all 4 copies but if you have a higher density of 4 mana and higher cards (e.g. more than 6 in total of the following - Chandra ToD, Questing Beast, Inferno Titan, Elder Gargaroth, Glorybringer, Stormbreath Dragon) you’re better off playing 3 copies instead.
4x Seasoned Pyromancer – This card fixes so many issues the deck had and is a fantastic edition. Draws cards, dumps extra lands, puts more bodies on board to attack with, and is a mana sink from the grave if you kill it. I wouldn’t play less than 4 copies in modern iterations of the deck unless you’re on a budget.
0-4x Tireless Tracker – Your budget replacement for Seasoned Pyromancer. Still works pretty well, but you’ll see the power of Seasoned Pyromancer when you upgrade. You can still play 2 in conjunction with him and it works fine, but I would recommend using the mainboard space on something better and maybe putting this in the side for grindier matchups.
4x Glorybringer – Like I mentioned previously in this primer, Glorybringer brings so much power to the table that playing with less than 4 copies seems like a mistake. This card is very powerful and your best 5 drop at your disposal. Play all 4.
0-2x Stormbreath Dragon – If you have lots of UW control in your metagame, Stormbreath Dragon mainboard can work out well due to it’s protection from white allowing it to dodge Path to Exile, and the 3 mana and 5 mana Teferi removal effects. It can also be a manasink that burns for damage in the lategame. Normally outclassed by Glorybringer, just play 0-2 if your meta calls for it.
2-4x Bonecrusher Giant – This was an excellent addition to the deck from Throne of Eldraine. Adventures give you 2 card effects in one card, and Bonecrusher Giant is one of the better ones. Being able to shock something for 2 mana while also doubling as a 4/3 threat for 3 mana that shocks the opponent if they want to remove it all in one card gives it utility that is too good to pass up. Play between 2-4.
0-3x Questing Beast – Questing Beast is another option from Throne of Eldraine that fills up our 4 mana slow alongside Bloodbraid Elf and Chandra ToD. I currently don’t play any due to preferring the versatility of Chandra ToD and BBE over it, but it’s a very real option that closes games out fast. Run 0-3 based on your build.
1-3x Chandra, ToD – The best planeswalker this deck has at it’s disposal, as shown earlier it does it all from ramping, card advantage, removal, ping damage, and being a strong finisher. Always play at least 1 in my opinion, but 2 seems to be the best number. 3 can be viable if you think the effect is strong enough in your meta.
0-2x Wrenn and Six – Wrenn and Six can function well in our deck due to the fact that we play 9 fetches which can be picked up with Wrenn and Six while also functioning as removal. I prefer playing Scavenging Ooze as a 2 drop which is why I play 0, but many lists have found success with 2. Play either 2 or 0.
3x Klothys, God of Destiny – Much like Seasoned Pyromancer, Klothys has fixed so many issues with the deck. Being able to drain opponents for 2 every turn is amazing in the burn matchup or other close matchups where your life total matters, but the ability to generate mana also lets you play less lands than normal and exile your own or opposing lands from the grave to hit your 4-5 mana plays on turn 3. It also is an enchantment most of the time so it is less susceptible to removal, and it has indestructible so it’s extra sticky. You either have to exile it, or when it's a creature hit it with something like Dismember. It’s deceptively easy to hit your 7 devotion to turn it into a creature too, due to utopia sprawls and dorks adding 1 devotion apiece to your devotion pool and cards like Seasoned Pyromancer, Bloodbraid Elf, and Chandra ToD providing 2 points of devotion apiece. I would always play 3 as extra copies can be pitched to Seasoned Pyromancer if needed, and I nearly always want to see at least one in the course of a game.
0-2x Scavenging Ooze – Scooze excels against decks that want to use the grave like Dredge, but it can also act as a stabilizer due to it’s built-in lifegain and pump with counters. A good mana sink if you have too much extra mana as well. However, sometimes it has anti-synergy with Klothys and both of them needing things in grave to exile. I recommend playing 2, but you do not need them.
0-2x Inferno Titan – Inferno Titan is a bomb, plain and simple. Split bolting on entering and attack, and firebreathing gives you reach to close out games. However, 6 mana can sometimes be a steep cost for the deck to reach in a reasonable amount of time. Klothys makes it easier, but I would recommend playing none at the current moment. 2 is an acceptable amount at times when your local meta calls for a strong finisher though.
Lands:
8-9x Fetchlands – Prioritize green fetches with 4x Wooded Foothills being the best.
6-7x Basic Forests – You need green on turn 1, and green mana when your Blood Moons are online
0-2x Basic Mountain – Red is less important on one, but sometimes you need basic mountains when fetching to take less damage against burn decks.
4x Stomping Ground – Always play 4x Stomping ground, the strongest dual land in your deck.
0-1x Kessig Wolf Run – An option for a mana sink late game, but the inability to tap for colored mana can make awkward opening hands sometimes. If you play this, I would count it as a spell and not as part of your 20-21 lands.
