Overlooked Modern Cards?
Modern forum
Posted on Sept. 29, 2015, 11:17 a.m. by Zicca21
Are there any cards that aren't regularly played in modern that you think should be? Why?
Also responses to answers would be cool too so that way it's not only 1 mind trying to wrap itself around all of modern play.
I'll start off with my own suggestion below.
Hada Freeblade and allys in general, Predatory Sliver and slivers in general, Phyrexian Crusader and black infect in general. These are just archetypes, but ya know, those cards.
September 29, 2015 11:24 a.m.
Golgari Charm - I think that it should be a 2 or 3-of in the sideboard for most Abzan and Golgari decks. It has great versatility.
Cons - Abrupt Decay is loved by everyone and is already played as quick removal.
Pros - Takes out 1/1s all over the place (Noble Hierarch, Glistener Elf, Slippery Bogle, Spirit Tokens, etc). Can destroy the odd enchantment (Blood Moon) that's really lockdown. Also dodges board wipes almost every time.
As long as you play with it and get a sense of when to hold up mana for it, it can definitely come in from the sideboard against lots of decks in modern.
September 29, 2015 11:24 a.m.
Recently I've felt like Golgari Charm is maindeckable. UW decks? Regenerate. Twin? Blow up Splinter Twin or Blood Moon. Tokens? Wipe. CoCo? kill the mana dorks. Delver? kill off delver/pyromancer.
September 29, 2015 11:35 a.m.
JakeHarlow says... #6
Yeah Golgari Charm is the real deal. Jund Charm also works well but sees a bit more play. And, obviously, is only available to Jund.
September 29, 2015 11:39 a.m.
Personally, I've always wanted Nihilith and Nyxathid to get more love. Nihilith is bonkers in a faux-mill deck in which the milling is just part of a beatdown plan (fill up opponent's graveyard, get Nihiliths down quickly, enable Jace's Phantasms, turn them all sideways).
September 29, 2015 11:41 a.m.
Hoo boy. We could be here a while. Let me toss in some of my favorites that haven't already been talked about:
Brimaz, King of Oreskos - Passes the Bolt test, makes tokens without spending mana, and has vigilance, so it pulls double duty on offense and defense. Needs to see more play.
Countersquall - Negate with upside. What's not to love?
Disrupting Shoal - Needs the right sort of deck, but can be a baby Force of Will if employed correctly.
Rakdos Charm - A bit overshadowed by Kolaghan's Command at the moment, but it's still a great sideboard piece to bring in against Twin (kills them before they kill you), Grixis Control (wipes their graveyard, doesn't touch yours), and Affinity (even more artifact hate).
Simic Charm - It can fight off Abrupt Decay (which 
decks can't usually do), can provide evasion in the form of bounce, and you can send it to the dome in the form of pump. Criminally underrated card.
There are many others, but this are 5 that came to mind off the top of my head.
September 29, 2015 11:41 a.m.
I definitely think people should play Stoneforge Mystic more, she's super overpowered when you run Razor Boomerang :-)
September 29, 2015 12:19 p.m.
If I'm being serious, we all know that Shatterstorm is good when decks go really wide with artifacts. But why not Echoing Ruin? Currently Lantern of Insight is a decent deck and while it can definitely stop you from casting a Shatterstorm, you can probably get off a decent Echoing Ruin for either the mill pieces or Ensnaring Bridge
September 29, 2015 12:26 p.m.
I like how quite a few of you are on the charm plan as well, 3 options for a card makes it great! That's why people like the Commands from DTK as well, more options!
For artifact destruction I like Vandalblast. It's slow but again has some versatility where you could use it early game to slow merfolk or late game to wipe affinity stuff.
I have Countersquall in a U/B Zombie build and it's great there.
The other card I think should be run in just about every deck with green in it, Fog. Just as a one of, it could win you the game and also make your opponent second guess so many attacks! If they Thoughtseize your hand and have to take out Fog just so they don't have to think about it? That's a win for you!
September 29, 2015 12:48 p.m.
MindAblaze says... #12
I've always liked Harm's Way.
I'd like to see Boomerang although I'm pretty sure it doesn't fit anywhere. The old turn two bounce your land on the play seems like it should be strong.
September 29, 2015 12:49 p.m.
Golgari Charm isn't that good, for reference.
Abrupt Decay kills enchantments just as hard. For keranos you want Dromoka's Command.
-1/-1 is not at all useful against bogles or infect because both hold extremely cheap buffs. It absolutely relies on you having one ready to play as soon as you get to T2. If you go second that's too late for reference - their creatures will be bigger than 1/1s. It does kill mana dorks (so what). It will not hit elves after their T2 lord comes down. It will not hit tokens after their T2 anthem comes down.
Regenerating every creature you control is only relevant versus Supreme Verdict decks, of which there are 0 in the high level meta. It does nothing against Damnation.
September 29, 2015 1:10 p.m.
sergiodelrio says... #14
I fell in love with Redirect. This will end up as a 2 for 1 a lot of times, and even gets around Abrupt Decay.
September 29, 2015 1:26 p.m.
I didn't say to replace Abrupt Decay but I still think it would be a useful card in the SB to bring in alongside it against some decks. You don't need a board wipe to use the regenerate everyability.
I know that it will not always take out dorks especially with elves but if you Abrupt Decay the lord and then wipe the team with -1/-1, why not? Even against elves or goblins to make all the creatures lose 1 power can make the difference in a game in a swing with all their creatues. If they have 5 elves on board and drop Craterhoof Behemoth and swing with it all, knocking 6 points of damage off is not the worst thing and could mean you get to swing back and win.
September 29, 2015 1:27 p.m.
Because damnation and engineered explosives can kill elves and other decks like it before it gets to a bad point.
September 29, 2015 2:09 p.m.
EE certainly can, and that's your first line of defense. I would argue that Damnation won't always get there, given Elves' speed, but stalling them with a timely removal spell can probably buy you the time you need to get there.
Personally, I like Golgari Charm, but I like it in addition to Abrupt Decay (especially given that Elves frankly don't pose that much of a threat to BGx if Ezuri, Renegade Leader is dealt with swiftly and decisively) as opposed to being sided in for it.
September 29, 2015 2:13 p.m. Edited.
Both elves and merfolk are bad matches for Jund and Abzan. We don't pack enough removal to answer every lord.
I think Sorin, Lord of Innistrad and Thrun, the Last Troll are criminally under-rated.
They're both very hard to remove, useful against a variety of decks, and capable when ahead in the game and behind.
September 29, 2015 2:23 p.m.
ChiefBell: Thrun is underrated? Underplayed, sure, but I don't think he's underrated. Sorin, Lord of Innistrad definitely is, though.
September 29, 2015 3:45 p.m.
I've seen Thrun show up in some lists and matches but I have not seen that Sorin in any. I do like the Sorin's ability, like the new Gideon, to have an emblem anthem. Can really change up a game. Abzan mirror match and your Siege Rhino is a 5/5 instead of 4/5 seems pretty good. Also cool in B/W Token builds.
September 29, 2015 3:49 p.m.
I don't see Thrun enough. In my opinion he warrants a place alongside Siege Rhino. Especially with all the terminates going about.
September 29, 2015 3:53 p.m.
Wizard_of_the_Broke says... #22
I never quite understood why Sorin, Lord of Innistrad was consistently rated as the lesser Sorin (compared to Sorin, Solemn Visitor), especially considering many of the same decks that use those throw in stuff like Auriok Champion and Vault of the Archangel anyway.
Anywho, Thrun is also a good shout, Boomerang isn't bad - and I think Redirect has decent potential.
Given the prevalence of width tactics (Young Pyromancer and Lingering Souls), I'm surprised I don't see more Brave the Elements on the wide sides, and more Electrickery and Forked Bolt in decks that can't run Electrolyze or Pyroclasm effectively.
I also think there's potential out there for different tempo decks other than Izzet or Grixis Delver - with stuff like Abbot of Keral Keep and Monastery Mentor floating around, dying to be played with Lightning Helix, Brave the Elements, and Emerge Unscathed.
September 29, 2015 4:46 p.m.
It's because (by my understanding) 
tokens needs mass pump and big chunks of lifegain to stabilize against the likes of Burn more than it does 1/1 lifelinking dudes, and that's the major archetype that would consider either.
Brave the Elements is underplayed for sure, and the reason why is because aggro is kind of a struggling archetype. It doesn't have much native evasion (protection is hit-or-miss, and most of its fliers stink), so if you don't draw Brave, oftentimes you don't win.
September 29, 2015 5:05 p.m.
Castigate seems really good, but I can see with Thoughtseize and Inquisition of Kozilek how it could get left by the wayside.
September 29, 2015 5:08 p.m.
Wizard_of_the_Broke says... #25
rothgar13 - Yeah I guess I get what the rationale is, but having played BW Tokens, I ultimately disagree with it.
And yeah, there aren't a lot of primarily white decks - again, I think it's mostly applicable to BW Tokens. Though I could see it in decks running Mentor - plenty of people have been trying to make that work. I still think it might at some point.
September 29, 2015 5:47 p.m.
It's not that Sorin, Lord of Innistrad is bad in Tokens. He's good. It's just that his use tends to be pretty narrow compared to Sorin, Solemn Visitor. His -2 puts him in Lightning Bolt range (and if he does get bolted after using it, you basically paid 4 mana for half an Intangible Virtue) and his ultimate kinda stinks, so the only reason to play him in B/W tokens is his +1. And considering token decks have no shortage of token-generating spells, paying 4 mana for a planeswalker that's almost strictly a token spamming engine isn't all that impactful. It's good, but not great.
Meanwhile, Solemn Visitor's +1 often allows a HUGE life swing in your favor if used at the right time, and the fact his -2 creates a bigger token with evasion makes it feel like much less of a waste if he gets killed right after -2'ing. His ultimate is also more relevant than Lord of Innistrad's, because it doesn't rely on an unfavorable board state to be useful and it lasts the entire game.
In the end, Solemn Visitor is the better card to play when your board state is favorable, and Lord of Innistrad is more helpful if you're recovering from a Pyroclasm or something. But rebuilding off just a Sorin can be too slow, so I'd rather just play another Spectral Procession or Lingering Souls in such situations.
September 29, 2015 6:21 p.m.
He's great in BG/x. You don't play many creatures so a late game planeswalker that gives you infinite chump blockers with lifelink is huge. If you are ahead then just spam his emblem for power boosts.
September 29, 2015 6:30 p.m.
SwaggyMcSwagglepants says... #28
OK, I am the biggest advocate of Abbot of Keral Keep in the world. I think that its actually nuts. Prowess is a very good ability to have on a 2 drop, so it stays relevant later in the game. And I think people have a bad habit of saying that exiling a card off the top of your library is actively bad. Its 1 card, and your opponent can't really touch it unless the meta really likes the new Processor Assault. I don't think its an auto-include in every red deck, because it has an obvious set up cost, like adding 
to the casting cost of a certain card you have to cast in 1 turn, and you have to be running a good enough of noncreature spells to trigger prowess enough.
One last card I really like is Pack Rat. It hasn't really gotten much worse, and it enables the delve creatures in its colors, and can set up any kind of reanimator targets if you're interested in that. I'm not as sure about it as Abbot, but I have my thoughts.
September 29, 2015 6:50 p.m.
electromancer says... #29
I always thought Phyrexian Crusader looked awesome for modern but lacked the support for a good midrange deck.
There's also Condemn for all the people who think Swords to Plowshares would be bonkers in modern.
September 29, 2015 6:52 p.m.
I don't think you can play condemn because fetchlands.
September 29, 2015 6:55 p.m.
Though paying 1 mana ti put a card in a random position in an opponents deck isn't bad.
September 29, 2015 6:56 p.m.
electromancer says... #32
@ChiefBell fetchlands might get the bottom card on top, but they might as well get the other copy on top as well. The increased probability of that occurring is way too small to care about.
Using hypergeometric calculator, The opponent 5% increase chance of drawing a card of, which there's 4 copies, within the next 2 draws (in a library with 40 cards left in it) if you use condemn over swords to plowshares. Not exactly something I'd consider significant, since you still have to draw the card and then play it again. Honestly, I don't think Swords to Plowshares would be quite as insane a people think. Definitely playable though.
September 29, 2015 7:09 p.m.
5%? That's the scientific boundary for something being a significant occurrence haha.
September 29, 2015 7:13 p.m.
electromancer says... #34
Well if you only care if it shows up the next turn then it's only a 2.5% increase, so take that :)
September 29, 2015 7:28 p.m.
Wizard_of_the_Broke says... #35
square711 - Points taken on the Sorin thing. Perhaps I rate him less highly than others because I'm a big fan of Timely Reinforcements, also known as the best comeback/stabilizing card in slow decks ever - so I never found the lifelink ability that vital.
SwaggyMcSwagglepants - I'm also a huge fan of Abbot of Keral Keep, and have been brewing the hell out of him. I think he could be the missing component of a Delver-less tempo deck that could be good. Processor Assault could be decent in a deck with Path to Exile, but not so hot anywhere else, no? Roast seems more consistent. There's also always Skred and Flame Slash.
September 29, 2015 8:11 p.m.
Given that the Jund players and (IIRC) Patrick Chapin have already gotten wind of Abbot of Keral Keep, I think it's safe to say it won't be in the underplayed/underrated pile for long.
September 29, 2015 8:47 p.m.
canterlotguardian says... #37
NecroPony I really want to brew W/B discard with Castigate in the main. It seems like it could be a lot of fun. Full-on W/B 8-rack maybe?
September 29, 2015 9:06 p.m.
8-rack should always splash white anyway. Otherwise, game 2 Leyline of Sanctity = rekt
September 29, 2015 10:12 p.m.
SwaggyMcSwagglepants says... #39
@formayor Yeah, I've been thinking, if you run 4x Path to Exile and 2x Processor Assault, you could have a strong removal base. I don't think its always better than Roast, which has no setup cost. Processor Assault could also be good in the side against any deck that runs cards w/ delve post board.
September 29, 2015 10:42 p.m.
Wizard_of_the_Broke says... #40
SwaggyMcSwagglepants Well I'm just glad they didn't print any delve creatures that dodge Roast...
Wait a minute...
Tombstalker is the most underplayed card in Modern. Case closed. Have a good night.
September 29, 2015 10:58 p.m.
selesvyaloverer8 says... #41
Tombstalker doesnt dodge Roast. @ChiefBell, although 5% is statistically significant, 5 games out of 100 is not that much. If you assume ~3 games per match, then that's 5 times in 2 major events if you draw condemn and use it every game. So overall, not really significant.
September 30, 2015 11:35 p.m.
September 30, 2015 11:42 p.m.
Also, 5% is absolutely significant. I don't know where you're coming from on that but that's a major factor for why Condemn is NOT good. 1 in 20 games is an extremely high occurrence, all things considered.
September 30, 2015 11:44 p.m.
electromancer says... #44
@vishnarg I used hypergeometric calculator and assumed in most cases:
A)You care whether after shuffling if it showed in the next two turns
and
B)The opponent has about 40 cards in there deck.
Actually having used it to calculate a lot of different stuff (such as ideal land counts) I can tell you people flirt with relying on much wilder probabilities. Relying on something with a 95% chance is hardly a risk in Magic. If you've ever made a constructed deck with less than 24 lands, no ramp and a 4-drop you're probably guilty of a much, much greater sin.
If your interested, here's the link:
http://stattrek.com/online-calculator/hypergeometric.aspx
October 1, 2015 12:01 a.m.
electromancer says... #45
No one has mentioned Gatekeeper of Malakir. Looks good, but never sees serious play. I suppose that fact that it doesn't have flash might have something to do with it.
October 1, 2015 12:03 a.m.
Wizard_of_the_Broke says... #46
Am I nuts? How in gods name does Roast hit Tombstalker?
October 1, 2015 12:10 a.m.
Wizard_of_the_Broke says... #48
electromancer That's corny as all hell, but pretty clever. 7.25 out of 10.
October 1, 2015 12:29 a.m.
Gatekeeper of Malakir is a meh card if you ask me. for a bear with a semi-relevant tribe and an Edict effect for spice is nothing special. I'd pretty much only run it in Vampire Tribal, and there it suffers from not being AEther Vial-friendly.
October 1, 2015 12:46 a.m.
Wizard_of_the_Broke says... #50
Why Gatekeeper of Malakir when you should just Smallpox?
I change my vote. Smallpox is the most overlooked card in Modern. Case closed. Have a good night.
canterlotguardian says... #2
Lately, I've become an advocate of Emerge Unscathed. It's a great trick in combat, plus G2-3 it's good to name a color your opponent's running to prevent targeted removal.
September 29, 2015 11:19 a.m.