What should I do for a first Modern deck?
Modern forum
Posted on July 4, 2015, 4:55 p.m. by ComradeJim270
After looking at it from a long-term, financial perspective I've realized that Standard is ultimately not for me. Aside from the need to pay to keep up as things rotate, I tend to get very attached to decks and hate the idea that they won't be usable in the future.
So, I'm looking to get into modern; it's popular at my LGS anyway. What I need to decide is what sort of deck I might build, and I've been looking at less pricey options. It doesn't need to be super-competitive. But choosing one to focus on is hard and I'd like suggestions for what to pursue that would be fun for me and in my price range.
Here's what has been suggested for me so far and my present (probably uninformed) views on them:
- Infect: Aside from leaving a bad taste in my mouth, the games are over so fast that I barely have time to enjoy them!
- "Just get the event deck": I can afford that. B/W tokens offers some nice flexibility and customization options. But I play tokens all the time, something new would be nice.
- RDW: Fast, efficient and with the ability to win more than one way? Customizable? Affordable? Easy to pilot? Sounds pretty awesome.
- Soul Sisters: I like white weenies. Decks that don't offer much room for flexibility, though? My Johnny side is wary of it.
- 8 Rack: That's pushing it as far as price goes. I mean, I was going to grab a few more Thoughtseize at some point anyhow but Lili and such are pricy. But could be fun if I could do it.
- Burn: Linear. Boring.
- CoCo Elves: So is this "put elves on the field, turn them sideways"? That does not sound very exciting to me.
- Mono Blue Merfolk: It's got aggro with a side of control, and little guys I get lots of value out of? That sounds great!
- Living End: I'm normally not interested in building something around a single card, but I like how out-there this is and has some ability to be tweaked. A definite "maybe".
- Mono-Blue Urzatron: Some pricy cards in here, but a lot of it isn't outrageous. I'm just not sure what I'd do with the damn thing. Looks a bit dull.
- Mono-Black Devotion: Lots of room for customization, a good amount of flexibility and uses some cards I'm very fond of. This definitely has my attention.
I'm interested in hearing thoughts on these, anything I missed or ideas on how to get started with this. I'm sure there's some entry level decks that I'd be interested in but missed. Based on what I've said here, do you folks have any suggestions for which avenues I should take? I would greatly appreciate them!
It would greatly help to know a price range and previous playstyles you have done and enjoyed/not enjoyed.
It sounds though that you want:
-A value based deck.
-Customization
-Johnny/combo style
I think CoCo Abzan (or whatever the name is) is something you should try. It plays a lot of value based creatures like Kitchen Finks and Collected Company, has a infinite life combo of several ways, some 1 ofs to tutor for with Chord of Calling, and customization as the deck is relatively new and isn't 100% set in stone.
July 4, 2015 5:09 p.m.
ComradeJim270 says... #5
I'm not rock solid on price range yet, but anything over $200 is probably not likely unless I really like it. I'd probably want to start with a really budget version and upgrade it.
Your assessment is mostly spot on, though. I do have a Timmy side too, I like beating face... I just want to be creative about doing it. I do like being able to run a bit of control, but tend to get bored with too much of it.
Your idea does sound appealing already, I'll take a look at it. Thanks!
July 4, 2015 5:17 p.m.
RDW: Fast, efficient and with the ability to win more than one way? Customizable? Affordable? Easy to pilot? Sounds pretty awesome.
In reality RDW doesn't have a ton of wincons, isn't THAT affordable and is very hard to pilot.
Honestly, it depends on how you like to play. Almost all of the decks you listed above except CoCo and U-tron are super linear and just play one way in almost every single game. For variety factors and as something you can get into cheaply but spend lots on if you want to upgrde later then maybe delver.
July 4, 2015 5:21 p.m.
JaceArveduin says... #7
The bigger question is what does your modern land base look like? There are quite a few decks that are more costly due to the land base requiring several fetches and shocks.
July 4, 2015 5:27 p.m.
ComradeJim270 says... #8
@ChiefBell: It's not really multiple win cons, it's going to win with damage. I just like that burn and creature damage are both quite possible. Interesting points on it though, I may have been misinformed.
I'm actually surprised at you saying CoCo elves aren't linear, but I haven't seen them very much yet so it may just come down to lack of familiarity.
Fish is actually the most appealing based on what I do know now. Obviously it wants to do the same thing all the time, but I do like that it has a little bit of control going on to mix up how things happen while it gets there.
Delver is a new one, I'll check that out.
July 4, 2015 5:28 p.m.
GlistenerAgent says... #9
Scapeshift. I'll help you out if you'd like. The deck is really fun to play, and can be really successful if you learn to play it well.
July 4, 2015 5:29 p.m.
ComradeJim270 says... #10
@JaceArveduin: A little all over the place. I have a playset of R/B fetches, a few G/W shocks and not much else available in terms of pricier lands (most of the expensive stuff is in my EDH decks right now). I was planning on picking up more fetches before they climb back up too much though, so if they're in the same colors as a deck I might play I'd just consider them a sort of investment.
@GlistenerAgent: I appreciate that. Could you explain the basic idea behind it to me, please?
July 4, 2015 5:33 p.m.
ComradeJim270 - CoCo elves has a ton of combos and can win in a lot of different ways.
July 4, 2015 6:22 p.m.
ComradeJim270 says... #13
@ChiefBell: Well, after a little research it seems like it did come down to me just not understanding it. That looks like it would be great for me.
At this point the options I'm interested in and can afford seem to be:
- CoCo elves (cheaper than Abzan company but just as appealing)
- RDW (I'd need a lot of practice but like the concept. Less effective but very affordable options available)
- Fish (Top of my price range, but looks pretty damn awesome)
So this has helped narrow it down and made me aware of other options. You guys are awesome.
July 4, 2015 6:38 p.m.
As a fish player I'll tell you it's a lot of fun and it's relatively cheap considering how pricey modern can be. I got into modern on 8rack and fish I love both decks but whenever I'm at an fnm type tournament running modern and someone needs a deck or wants to try modern out I always lend them my fish deck since it's relatively easy to pilot and it's a fun deck to get your feet wet with the format with. A thing that stuck out to me was that it can flip from aggro to a more defensive control type of strategy in an instant. The only relatively expensive card that you need no matter what would be Aether vial. (Cavern of souls is nice but not totally needed)
TL;DR: fish is a really awesome deck to build to get into modern with.
July 4, 2015 6:54 p.m.
ComradeJim270 says... #15
Hehe... "get your feet wet".
But yeah, those are the things that draw me to it.
July 4, 2015 7:20 p.m.
Delver is a deck that plays Delver of Secrets Flip along wth counterspells like Remand or burn spells like Lightning Bolt. It's a fairly difficult deck to play. Can win in a variety of different ways. Can play as a control deck or an aggro deck. Very versatile. Hugely fun. Most common colour combinations are izzet, and grixis.
July 4, 2015 7:44 p.m.
canterlotguardian says... #17
I'm in the process of building Jund Dredgevine, and it's definitely a deck that appeals to me as a horrible Timmy/Spike chimera of doom. I can link you my deck list on your profile if you want to take a look at it.
July 4, 2015 7:53 p.m.
ComradeJim270 says... #18
@ChiefBell: Once I actually looked it up I realized I was somewhat familiar with it but didn't have a name to put to it. Some of the commonly used cards in it are pricy, but I have some already. I do really like that it's flexible like that and will add it to my list of possibilities. The learning curve is a concern, but not insurmountable by any means. I'm glad you suggested it because it does appeal to me.
July 4, 2015 7:54 p.m.
TheCeltic814 says... #19
Here is an article about 
Tempered Steel budget. It will not break your budget ($82 in paper, MTGO $12) and overtime you upgrade to Affinity.
http://www.mtggoldfish.com/articles/budget-magic-84-6-tix-uw-tempered-steel-modern
If you really want to build any of those deck mentioned Pucatrade is a great way of building your decks fast and up trading.
Last thing is CoCo Elves is a fun deck to play! Goes wide and has a little toolbox element to it for your meta needs! Good luck!!! =)
July 4, 2015 7:55 p.m.
ComradeJim270 says... #20
@canterlotguardian: I found it in your profile! Looks too pricy to me, but I'll take note of the concept for future reference.
July 4, 2015 7:57 p.m.
I have a fish deck I may be looking to sell/trade in one piece. Does this interest you at all ComradeJim270? I could show you the deck list if you'd like.
July 4, 2015 8:09 p.m.
ComradeJim270 says... #22
@vishnarg:I'm not certain I have the money to get it all at once, but it couldn't hurt to have a look.
July 4, 2015 8:11 p.m.
I can suggest a brew I run that recently managed to snag its first 1st place at FNM this week. It is sub $100. While it's unlikely to post consistent wins against tier 1 decks, it's a potent budget/no rares build.
July 4, 2015 8:39 p.m.
Yes, I just put it back up. I do have a sideboard, but it's really more of a personal preference than anything. You'll likely want to tailor your own.
July 4, 2015 8:49 p.m.
JexInfinite says... #26
GlistenerAgent At the moment Scapeshift is not very good, but when Dig gets unbanned, you'll be in prime position to wreck everyone. It also used to have success before Dig was printed, so you can always win like that.
It's good to learn old archetypes which may get power-ups.
July 4, 2015 10:12 p.m.
APPLE01DOJ says... #27
MBD isn't cheap, when built right it'll cost you around 1500$
July 4, 2015 11:49 p.m.
APPLE01DOJ says... #28
I would go with Infect or Urza Tron out of that list.
8rack isn't a good deck because it's slow & inconsistent.
Merfolk could be fun...
July 4, 2015 11:51 p.m.
ComradeJim270 says... #29
Yeah, when I looked at the actually good decklists for it I went "Oh... never mind."
July 4, 2015 11:51 p.m.
ComradeJim270 says... #30
Urzatron isn't quite my style I think, but I'll proxy one up and test it out. Most likely at this point it's down to the three I named earlier (post 12) though I may try cklise's deck to test the waters first and get a feel for my local meta.
CoCo elves and RDW I can put together fairly easy if I save my money and dig through the couch cushions. Merfolk's only semi-budget, but I do really like the idea of it; it's mainly a matter of finding a way to get the Aether Vials as cheaply as possible.
July 5, 2015 2:13 a.m.
notamardybum says... #31
Elves is more so like turn your elves sideways to castshit, turn things more sideways and cast even more shit, then you turn some sideways to make all your guys huge and then you turn them sideways again, and win
July 5, 2015 3:44 a.m.
ComradeJim270 says... #32
Yeah, after looking at the deck in greater detail I see that and it's pretty damn cool!
July 5, 2015 7:38 a.m.
Gone Fishin Playtest
Modern
SCORE: 71 | 21 COMMENTS | 19472 VIEWS
Here's the fish deck I have. I could trade just all the creatures, Aether Vials, Mutavaults and Spreading Seas out of the deck if you wanted to significantly reduce the cost (by the removal of white). I could even exclude the sideboard from the deal if you'd like. But those creatures are the base of every Merfolk deck, so if after testing you decide fish is the right deck for you, comment on my profile and I can hook you up with a huge majority of the fish staples.
July 5, 2015 7:53 a.m.
Id recommend Fish, Elves or Burn as your first deck. They are all solid decks that let you learn and win while getting more comfortable with the format. They also port fairly well into solid Legacy decks if you want to go down that road in the future.
I have several Modern decks right now and I really like Elves a lot. The deck is super flexible and can awnser most other decks in the format. And depending on how you build it you have several win cons in Ezuri, Mirror Entity and the big Hoof! Iv even won games with normal beatdown using Archdruids as pump. The Chord of Callings gives the deck a lot of flex and awnsers in creature form.
July 6, 2015 7:19 a.m.
ComradeJim270 says... #35
Thanks, Jojja.
I'd come to pretty much the same conclusion. I was looking at RDW over straight burn for a while, but it feels less appealing now. It's kind of down to fish or elves.
Fish seems really appealing to me now, but Aether Vials and Mutavaults are pricy. I need to get them on the cheap to put the deck in reach.
Collected Elves is very possible too and already in my price range. Normally I don't like decks that are too heavily biased towards green, but this deck seems different to me and I'm very interested in it.
July 6, 2015 11:51 a.m.
The Elves deck is a creatur beatdow deck, but its also a toolbox where you use Fauna Shaman, CoCo and Chord to get the right card for stopping what your opponent is doing. So while on the surface it might seem like your just playing creaturs and attacking, you actually have a lot of options you need to pick between. I find the deck to be highly rewarding and fun to play, and the more I play it the more I understand the complexity of the deck. And how interactive it really is.
July 7, 2015 2:56 p.m.
ComradeJim270 says... #37
Yeah, after looking in to things like costs and playstyle I think Elves is the way to go for me!
July 7, 2015 6 p.m.
The deck actually has a lot of combos as well. It is not solely a creature beatdown deck.
Heritage Druid + Nettle Sentinel for example.
Matsi883 says... #2
Try something like this.
July 4, 2015 5:06 p.m.