Sargeras Brewmaster
If you are reading this it likely means you've received feedback from me, looked at one of my decks, or have read a part of my Modern Brewer's Bible.
If you DID come here from one of my decks, be sure to keep updated on my profile, as I'm always tinkering around with new brews (especially for Modern & Commander) and almost every budget deck I make will get posted here at some point.
If you have a question about a deck, a deck you'd like to me look at, or anything related to playing on a budget for the Modern or Commander formats, I'm your guy.
If you want some help on building a list, PLEASE tell me what your budget is and what type of deck it is, (competitive, casual, gimmick etc.) in addition to anything you want it to be or want to play in it, otherwise my feedback will likely not be as helpful as I'd like it to be.
I began playing MTG in 2009 when I found that I had some friends who played the game. I started out as a kitchen table player and continued to do so until 2013 when my playgroup began to deviate away from playing casual decks, and moved on to play more competitive decks.
Since none of us really had the money to get into formats like Legacy or Standard, we all decided that we should play Modern, since many of us had cards for the format already, and the cost of getting in was pretty low. During this time I began to dive heavily into budget deckbuilding, since it was all I could afford.
As time has passed I've moved away from trying to buy decks in MTG and have instead been heavily active on the brewing side, as many of my friends have asked me for deckbuilding help and testing.
That being said, I still play tons of Commander and Modern, whether it be at my local LGS or on untap.in
I do not have a favorite color of the MTG color pie, however I absolutely love playing Midrange and Control decks, as they match my playstyle.
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My current username code is:
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(This was stolen from a user named Scorpix and placed here for others to enjoy)
The Modern Brewer's Bible is my personal down-to-earth guide to the Modern Format. It's goal is to create the most comprehensive guide to the format that I can for the Magic community. It is currently being written during my free time and it's chapters will be posted here as they are created. If you want to keep updated, make sure to hit the add as friend button on my profile so you can stay updated on when they come out.
The Modern Brewer's Bible Part 1: Getting Into The Format & Overview
The Modern Brewer's Bible Part 2: Building On a Budget
The Modern Brewer's Bible Part 3: Modern's Nature and Sideboarding
DISCLAIMER: Below is my archive of builds and brews that either I have made, or have seen around the site and saved here for other users.
Since I do not play standard (I love the format but I hate having to change around lists and constantly having to buy new things) my #1 reccomendation is to check out the budget archives on MTGGoldfish as Saffron Olive has built tons of great lists (he also does this for modern)
You can check them out at this link MTGGoldfish Budget Archive
How The Devil Plays MTG: The Mono-Black Primer
Modern
SCORE: -40 | 17 COMMENTS | 4578 VIEWS | IN 12 FOLDERS
How To Play Fair: The GW Hatebears Primer
Modern
SCORE: -24 | 8 COMMENTS | 1026 VIEWS | IN 2 FOLDERS
Order Is Restored: The UW Control/Midrange Primer
Modern
SCORE: -21 | 4 COMMENTS | 644 VIEWS | IN 1 FOLDER
Competitive Mono Black Midrange on a Budget
Modern
SCORE: -48 | 42 COMMENTS | 7476 VIEWS | IN 33 FOLDERS
Competitive Azorius Control on a Budget
Modern
SCORE: -43 | 22 COMMENTS | 2998 VIEWS | IN 23 FOLDERS
BOROS BRAIN-BASHER (Turn 4 Kill)
Modern
SCORE: -32 | 15 COMMENTS | 3494 VIEWS | IN 10 FOLDERS
The Arsonist's Glee: Getting Into Burn On A Budget
Modern
SCORE: -12 | 1 COMMENT | 872 VIEWS | IN 1 FOLDER
How To Put 12 Power Into Play Turn 1 For CHEAP!
Modern
SCORE: 13 | 861 VIEWS | IN 8 FOLDERS
NETDECKERS BEWARE: A WILD HOMEBREW APPEARS!
Modern
SCORE: -53 | 20 COMMENTS | 2812 VIEWS | IN 11 FOLDERS
Burning Booty on a Budget
Modern
SCORE: -10 | 555 VIEWS | IN 2 FOLDERS
Competitive RG Ponza On A Budget
Modern
SCORE: -32 | 5 COMMENTS | 2011 VIEWS | IN 9 FOLDERS
Cheap Infect
Modern
SCORE: 176 | 77 COMMENTS | 44087 VIEWS | IN 195 FOLDERS
~$70 MONO-RED BLITZ!
Modern
SCORE: -12 | 4 COMMENTS | 525 VIEWS | IN 4 FOLDERS
Competitive BW Tokens On A Budget
Modern
SCORE: -10 | 3 COMMENTS | 396 VIEWS | IN 1 FOLDER
Cries of Despair (Competitive Budget 8-rack)
Modern
SCORE: -29 | 9 COMMENTS | 2814 VIEWS | IN 9 FOLDERS
~$75 Pilla-Pala Infinite Combo Deck
Modern
SCORE: -13 | 5 COMMENTS | 642 VIEWS | IN 3 FOLDERS
YOUR ASS IS GLASS! (Budget Illusion Aggro)
Modern
SCORE: -21 | 474 VIEWS | IN 1 FOLDER
Brewing Modern on a Budget: Blood of Madness
Modern
SCORE: -24 | 1066 VIEWS | IN 6 FOLDERS
Brewing Modern on a Budget: Modern Foggy Swans
Modern
SCORE: -14 | 1 COMMENT | 330 VIEWS
Bouncing Faeries Everywhere
Modern
SCORE: 72 | 21 COMMENTS | 12226 VIEWS | IN 66 FOLDERS
Joe's Suicide Black
Modern
SCORE: -18 | 5 COMMENTS | 1092 VIEWS | IN 1 FOLDER
Modern Mono Green Infect Budget
Modern
SCORE: -6 | 732 VIEWS | IN 5 FOLDERS
Budget Black Eldrazitron
Modern
SCORE: -4 | 302 VIEWS | IN 1 FOLDER
Turning Dogs into Apes for $25
Modern
SCORE: 88 | 47 COMMENTS | 9591 VIEWS | IN 68 FOLDERS
For Those Without an Affinity for Money
Modern*
SCORE: 19 | 7 COMMENTS | 2530 VIEWS | IN 16 FOLDERS
~$35 Mono Green Super Ramp Deck
Modern
SCORE: -1 | 300 VIEWS | IN 1 FOLDER
Overgrown Umbral Elf ($30 Turn 3 Infinite)
Modern*
SCORE: 47 | 43 COMMENTS | 7964 VIEWS | IN 53 FOLDERS
Stompy, the cheap gateway into competitive modern
Modern
SCORE: 18 | 26 COMMENTS | 4764 VIEWS | IN 11 FOLDERS
Making the Leap: Delving Into Modern on a Budget
Modern
SCORE: 156 | 42 COMMENTS | 22831 VIEWS | IN 92 FOLDERS
Budget Elf Breeding Grounds - Turn 4 Kill
Modern
SCORE: 52 | 15 COMMENTS | 7744 VIEWS | IN 60 FOLDERS
That has how many counters?!?
Modern
SCORE: 12 | 15 COMMENTS | 1865 VIEWS | IN 6 FOLDERS
Whitest Deck Ever
Modern
SCORE: 39 | 50 COMMENTS | 5459 VIEWS | IN 22 FOLDERS
The Most Stupid Deck That Wins Ever
Modern
SCORE: 94 | 45 COMMENTS | 8344 VIEWS | IN 45 FOLDERS
U/G Infinite mana turn 3 winning!
Modern
SCORE: 34 | 23 COMMENTS | 3344 VIEWS | IN 22 FOLDERS
Shadows of the Dauthi
Legacy
SCORE: -12 | 1 COMMENT | 584 VIEWS | IN 1 FOLDER
~$26 Fluctuations and Miscalculations
Legacy
SCORE: -39 | 6 COMMENTS | 1816 VIEWS | IN 9 FOLDERS
~$26 Mono-Blue Makes Your Friends Hate You
Legacy
SCORE: -19 | 839 VIEWS | IN 2 FOLDERS
How To Be An MTG Mafioso (Budget Kambal EDH)
Commander / EDH
SCORE: -32 | 8 COMMENTS | 2335 VIEWS | IN 21 FOLDERS
Gwafa Hazid, The Cheap Way To Be Political! (~$15)
Commander / EDH
SCORE: -22 | 5 COMMENTS | 1324 VIEWS | IN 9 FOLDERS
I Am Bloodied But Unbowed (Budget Ruric Thar EDH)
Commander / EDH
SCORE: 1 | 68 VIEWS
Hatebears: Making Commander Unfun On A Budget
Commander / EDH*
SCORE: 2 | 130 VIEWS
Who's Hungry? (Thromok Budget EDH)
Commander / EDH
SCORE: -22 | 3 COMMENTS | 905 VIEWS | IN 1 FOLDER
Why Play Group Hug When You Could Play Group FUN!
Commander / EDH
SCORE: -19 | 636 VIEWS
Kaladesh Has A Future
Commander / EDH
90 VIEWS
Taxation Without Representation: Budget Stax EDH
Commander / EDH
SCORE: 1 | 242 VIEWS
~$70 Yidris Budget EDH
Commander / EDH
51 VIEWS
The Demon Horde
Commander / EDH*
SCORE: -2 | 231 VIEWS
The Starving Sorcerer (~$30 Arcanis EDH)
Commander / EDH
SCORE: -23 | 3 COMMENTS | 1433 VIEWS | IN 10 FOLDERS
Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger - Uril $40 Budget
Commander / EDH
SCORE: 56 | 8 COMMENTS | 5774 VIEWS | IN 54 FOLDERS
Sharuum the Ghetto: Xtreme Budget!!!
Commander / EDH
SCORE: 1 | 1 COMMENT | 255 VIEWS | IN 1 FOLDER
Seething With Anger: Hatebears Reloaded
Modern
SCORE: 5 | 7 COMMENTS | 836 VIEWS
Eternal Midnight (Competitive Rogue)
Modern
SCORE: -25 | 12 COMMENTS | 2539 VIEWS | IN 8 FOLDERS
Brewing with Modern: Mono White Aggro
Modern
SCORE: -15 | 1 COMMENT | 702 VIEWS
Making Loxodon Peacekeeper Competitive *PRIMER*
Modern
SCORE: 8 | 6 COMMENTS | 510 VIEWS
Oloro Combostax EDH
Commander / EDH
SCORE: -20 | 1477 VIEWS
WHEEL & DEAL IN MODERN! (Competitive Homebrew)
Modern
SCORE: 1 | 0 VIEWS
The Master's Teachings: Esper Control
Modern
SCORE: 3 | 3 COMMENTS | 224 VIEWS
A Guide On How To Be Boring
Modern
SCORE: -34 | 27 COMMENTS | 5608 VIEWS | IN 3 FOLDERS
How The Devil Plays MTG: The Mono-Black Primer
Modern
SCORE: -40 | 17 COMMENTS | 4578 VIEWS | IN 12 FOLDERS
I created a crazy vintage cube to draft with some friends online. Feel free to give any constructive feedback you'd like on it.
Hey, would you mind giving me some suggestions for my mono-black deck?
Thanks.
June 22, 2017 3:28 p.m.
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Said on
Budget Mono-black control...
#2
Gotta support fellow black players, so +1. Here are my suggestions.
Since your playgroup is mostly casual players, I'm guessing most of the decks are likely creature based ones, which makes cards like Smallpox very effective and dealing with any early game creatures your opponents might have. If you do go the pox route, Tombstalker could be in your future.
If you want some good creatures, Gifted Aetherborn is definitely good as more nighthawks are always great. Abyssal Persecutor would be perfect for this deck since you run so much removal. Also, Lashwrithe on cards like Vampire Nighthawk can end games very quickly.
I'd cut some of the expensive kill spells and up the land count, as cards like Doom Blade, Go for the Throat, Vendetta, all work very well.
Honestly, especially in casual metas, decks like this are often very destructive, cutting expensive kill spells for cheaper cmc ones will likely be enough for you to stop what your opponent is doing and kill them.
June 22, 2017 3:57 p.m.
Said on
Goblin Rush - ......
#3
Love the concept so +1, although I do have some suggestions.
Having not played a ton of pauper, I don't know for sure. But if it is not banned, Goblin Grenade is obligatory. 5 damage to the face transcends almost every burn spell you can use in a deck like this.
The bushwhackers and war marshals should be at 4 count, as they are insanely good at ending games if you have a board full of goblins.
Goblin Sledder, Goblin Cohort, should be moved to being a 4-of, because if you aren't casting creatures, something went wrong and cards like Sledder make sure that no matter how your opponent blocks the damage hits.
Pyroblast should be seeing play in your sideboard as a way to get through counterspells and destroy things like Delver of Secrets Flip. Electrickery should be in there to deal with small creatures.
As for some other interesting cards you could play, Sparksmith, Intimidator Initiate, Fireblast as a one-of.
Interesting to note, Tarfire can actually be tutored with Goblin Matron as a way to deal 2 extra damage.
Another card you should play is Mogg Raider, as it is effectively another Goblin Sledder.
Those are some suggestions, let me know if you need anymore help, especially if it;s for what to cut.
Cheers!
June 22, 2017 5:28 a.m.
Said on
A Guide On ......
#4
The ones that are in the decklist are from the promo set for gatherer I believe.
June 20, 2017 1:22 a.m.
Said on
Mono White Modern ......
#5
As someone who built a competitive humans deck in the past, I'd say this has a good start, but needs some more oomph to get there, so +1.
Accorder Paladin is probably the most aggressive human you could play for 2 mana, as being a 3/1 alone is already strong, but the fact that this card can give battlecry can make it insane with something like Silverblade Paladin.
Increasing Devotion & Ranger of Eos, while they may be solid cards in other white decks, you really want to be aggressive in these decks, so I'd cut them. I'd reccomend upping your Honor of the Pure and Gather the Townsfolk, as they will make this deck far stronger and more consistent.
You should be playing 19-20 lands, espeically if your curve stops at 3 cmc, I'd recommend moving Kytheon to the main, as well as getting path to 4 count.
Cards like Grand Abolisher may seem ok, but they really aren't that aggressive. I'd recommend playing some Brave the Elements in the main in order to top-deck wins in many matchups.
Your sideboard needs some work. Some great cards to look at are Stony Silence, Rest in Peace and Thalia, Guardian of Thraben.
If you want to look at something to upgrade this and/or look for help, here's a list I made for a friend a while back.
BOROS BRAIN-BASHER (Turn 4 Kill)
Modern
SCORE: -32 | 15 COMMENTS | 3465 VIEWS | IN 9 FOLDERS
If you would like any more suggestions, make sure to put double brackets around my name to let me know!
Cheers!
June 19, 2017 6:04 a.m.
Said on
How The Devil ......
#6
If you can't read what I've already said about Fatal Push, please don't comment.
June 13, 2017 2:29 p.m.
Said on
How The Devil ......
#7
I'm sorry that you don't understand what "competitive" in modern means. If were talking about viable decks in the meta, I'm sorry to say you either have no idea what you are talking about, or please just stop commenting. The fact that you think 8-rack is viable alone makes me wonder if you've ever played at a GP before. I have.
Having played with multiple people at SCG Modern events, Phyrexian Arena is the engine, especially if you are playing a lot of 4-6 drops. Many people even argue that Arena should be played over Lilli in some cases, as the engine makes everything else you play stronger. The fact that it requires something like Abrupt Decay is what makes it better. If you continue to say otherwise I can't say there's much hope for you.
If you recall from the primer, I said that without fetches Fatal Push is not viable. Obviously with fetches, push becomes the card to play, I'm sorry you don't read, but that's not my problem.
Now about the meta, if were talking about taking this to a place like a GP or online, you'll likely have a different list, because you want to make sure you can beat a deck like Eldrazitron, which is a colorless deck. Honestly if thats the meta you want to play mainboard Fulminator Mage and play Liliana, the Last Hope for recursion. Cards like Ratchet Bomb and whatnot can also be effective.
Of course you aren't going to win every game with a mono-black deck, even a deck like Soul sisters can be a hard matchup at times. If we are talking about a deck like Lantern Control, which has kinda dropped off as a matchup, then sure, we'll probably lose.
However, just because the online meta says a deck isn't good, doesn't mean you shouldn't play it. There's a reason decks like Bogles continue to perform well, even though the meta dictates they are not viable.
June 12, 2017 6:37 p.m.
Said on
How The Devil ......
#8
Since I have no idea about your history playing just mono-black decks, I'm going to try and explain this as easily as possible.
This primer is mostly for people who want to play Mono-black competitively in Modern, I've been playing the deck for a number of years, so I have a strong understanding of what exactly should be played in mono-black. I'm sorry to say this but most of your points are either for casual players or just don't make sense.
I have to wonder if you've even tried to bring a mono-black deck to the competitive scene, as Phyrexian Arena is often the card that allows mono-black decks to grind out against decks like UW Control in addition to cards like Whip of Erebos.
While Fatal Push can work well when you play Ghost Quarters colorless lands in the manabase make it more difficult for you to cast cards like Phyrexian Obliterator, Gifted Aetherborn, and so on. Having actually tried to play Fatal Push in black decks, it works well when against decks like Death's shadow, but is painful against any deck that plays 3 drops and up, if anything play I'd play dismember. This is based on my experience with these decks.
I've added some of your suggested cards to the primer as mono-black aggro lists are usually hard to come by.
As for Crypt Ghast, if your 4 drops aren't game winning, you really shouldn't be playing them. Cards like Abyssal Persecutor, Phyrexian Obliterator, Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet, Lashwrithe, etc. are all better suited for the format.
As I said in the primer, Bitterblossom is usually only a 1-of in lists that I've seen. However, when combined with cards like Lashwrithe and Whip of Erebos the card can be much more powerful. The real issue is that it doesn't do anything immediately, and that can often be the difference between winning and losing.
Unless you are playing some sort of reanimator deck, Sheoldred, Whispering One is not viable for modern.
June 12, 2017 3:46 p.m.
Said on
Fangor Mono Black ......
#9
Regarding lands I'd say you should either cut three other cards for three more swamps, or cut Nykthos and another card to play two more swamps. You really want to have 23-24 playable lands in the deck.
Another thing to add, since I don't know what your current sideboard is, some great budget choices are Mutilate, Flaying Tendrils, Nihil Spellbomb, Extirpate, Geth's Verdict, Ratchet Bomb, Tormod's Crypt, Hero's Downfall, Pithing Needle, Necrogen Mists, Distress, Memoricide, and Lost Legacy.
If you are looking for any more help, I made a whole primer on playing decks like this
How The Devil Plays MTG: The Mono-Black Primer
Modern
SCORE: -25 | 25 COMMENTS | 6083 VIEWS | IN 18 FOLDERS
Cheers!
June 12, 2017 5:34 a.m.
Said on
U/W Ultimate Control: ......
#11
Having seen and played many versions of decks that run Isochron Scepter, I have a few suggestions.
You need to have Leyline of Sanctity as a 4-of in your sideboard,otherwise any deck running discard will tear up your hand and screw with your combo/control. Once that happens you wont have a lot of outs to a board state besides maybe shackles if you top-deck it. I get that this a budget deck but you'll need them to win against powerful decks like Death's Shadow.
Run Glacial Fortress over Prairie Stream, since you have fetchlands you typically want to get shocks instead of basic lands, Fortress is guaranteed to enter untapped. I get that goes against playing your Vedalken Shackles but in my experience curve is far more important.
For sideboard tech, you may want to play cards like Ghostly Prison in order to have a one-stop way to make your opponents not be able to attack you, instead of trying to buy a turn.
You may want to consider playing Rune Snag over Mana Leak, because if the game goes longer your opponents will be able to get around leak, meanwhile snag is good in both the late and early game if you draw it (Also pairs better against discard).
Those are my suggestions, if you need more help let me know.
Cheers!
June 10, 2017 4:26 p.m.
Said on
Platinum Experiment...
#12
Having played various versions of Mardu Nahiri decks, I have to ask why Nahiri, the Harbinger is not in the mainboard, as you are already playing Emrakul.
If you are not going to play Nahiri, I'd suggest dropping the emrakul, as Indomitable Creativity requires that you have Lingering Souls tokens in play to work, and is very color intensive.
Just my thoughts on the deck, list looks good otherwise.
Cheers!
June 4, 2017 9:15 p.m.
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A Guide On How To Be Boring
Modern
SCORE: -7 | 32 COMMENTS | 7158 VIEWS | IN 9 FOLDERS
Competitive Azorius Control on a Budget
Modern
SCORE: -43 | 22 COMMENTS | 2998 VIEWS | IN 23 FOLDERS
Competitive Mono Black Midrange on a Budget
Modern
SCORE: -48 | 42 COMMENTS | 7476 VIEWS | IN 33 FOLDERS
How The Devil Plays MTG: The Mono-Black Primer
Modern
SCORE: -22 | 32 COMMENTS | 6352 VIEWS | IN 18 FOLDERS
~$26 Fluctuations and Miscalculations
Legacy
SCORE: -39 | 6 COMMENTS | 1816 VIEWS | IN 9 FOLDERS
BOROS BRAIN-BASHER (Turn 4 Kill)
Modern
SCORE: -32 | 15 COMMENTS | 3494 VIEWS | IN 10 FOLDERS
NETDECKERS BEWARE: A WILD HOMEBREW APPEARS!
Modern
SCORE: -53 | 20 COMMENTS | 2812 VIEWS | IN 11 FOLDERS
Cubes
| Finished Decks | 88 |
| Prototype Decks | 15 |
| Drafts | 0 |
| Playing since | 2010 Core Set |
| Points | 1317 |
| Avg. deck rating | 6.33 |
| T/O Rank | 131 |
| Helper Rank | 36 |
| Favorite formats | Commander / EDH, Modern |
| Good Card Suggestions | 150 |
| Venues | FNM Venue, Moon Dragon Games |
| Last activity | 4 hours |
| Joined | 2 years |
Sargeras says... #1
Duchys
If you need anymore help let me know.
June 22, 2017 3:58 p.m.