15 Flex Slots (Silver Bullets, Card Advantage, Equipment Package, etc)
Yeah, that's correct. You have 15 card slots to pick based on your personal preference and adapt to your meta.
A HUGE thing to remember when picking your Flex cards is that you are NOT a singleton Modern deck. 1 ofs should only be 1 ofs and in the main if they are a Silver Bullet against multiple decks/strategies.
S Tier
1-2x Trophy Mage
- First, I prefer 1 of these but I wouldn't be upset at anyone choosing to play 2. I found 1 to be best because unlike Stoneforge, Trophy Mage cost 1 more and makes the Swords cost 1 more (instead of Stoneforge ability). So she's there to be a Chord target. Now, why this card? I actually didn't know this card existed until someone mentioned and it became a snap replacement for the much worse Steelshaper's Gift. It grabs Swords but only Swords, but it's a body in late game for said Swords and it's Chordable. It's literally the only Blue card in the Main but we play 8 dorks that give blue mana and a Breeding Pool as a back up source. Boy do I wish this was a Stoneforge Mystic but until that day comes, I adamantly think Trophy Mage is the next best thing -- at least in this shell. Playing 3 cards is also pretty easy to sideboard out against decks you know/think will bring in artifact removal
1x Sword of Fire and Ice
1x Sword of Light and Shadow
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Look at those cards and tell me you don't want to swing in with those bad bois. First, the common thing I've heard and found in searching online is that the Swords are "too slow and the creatures just die to removal". Well yeah, those aren't not true but I think people are being hyperbolic. You know what else dies to removal? Like every single creature. But you know what doesn't go away when the creature does? That Sword, ready to get slapped on to a new guy. This deck almost always has the follow up creature. My most common line of play was attempt to attach a Sword to Bird of Paradise and if they have the removal, I tap the Bird for 1 mana and one of my other lands to put it on something else. Hell, if there's a Scryb Ranger, it could be bouncing a forest to untap the Bird and I'll just replay the Forest. They had to just Bolt or Path a 0/1 Flyer and they're still going to take a Sword to the face. And as for being too slow, they are on the slower side but I'm only unhappy to have drawn a piece against hyper aggro decks.
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Lastly, as for the choice in these two Swords. Only two swords for the sake of available slots and three feeling like overkill. I could see justification for 2 Trophy Mages and a 3rd Sword. Sword of Fire and Ice is hands down the most valuable in a vacuum. The red proc for Bolts is huge considering most equipped creatures will be 1 toughness and thus 3 toughness with sword, the 2 damage to any of their little guys is powerful, the option to hit face and then shock a planeswalker is versatile, and the card draw is the absolute best. In playtesting against Jeskai Control, I'd have a hefty board and only be down a card thanks to the draw. As for the second Sword, I opted for Light and Shadow because I like having the lifegain option along with another angle of card advantage against longer, grindier matches. Sword of War and Peace doesn't do enough, the color procs are good but our hand is usually small and against full hand decks like Control, Sword of Fire and Ice is better. Sword of Feast and Famine is probably the 2nd best in terms of raw value in a vacuum as getting to invest a turn to play and equip sword, and then hit with it, and untap our lands for Chord is a huge line of play. However, I don't personally feel like it does much towards winning but rather is win more. Maybe I'm underestimating the raw value of that one turn. Sword of Body and Mind is overall mediocre.
1x
Ramunap Excavator
- This guy is a 1 of because he only serves one function but he does it very well. That is to single-handedly create a whole new line of play option for the deck should you so please. Consistently replaying Ghost Quarter or Tectonic Edge against almost every deck will leave them low on mana and pretty quickly, those Ghost Quarters are going to function as Strip Mine considering most Modern decks aren't running very many basics. Generally just 2-3 as an answer to Paths. I put him as an 'S' Tier because he takes up 1 slot and adds such a wide new avenue in versatility. He can also let you replay and crack Horizon Canopies during matches where that card draw is crucial.
1x Qasali Pridemage
- As mentioned earlier, no one is really playing mainboard Artifact or Enchantment removal and I think Qasali is one of if not the best creature to fill that void, especially in the main. I love this card. At the very least, it gives Exalted. He fluctuates between S and A Tier with the meta, but even right now as of early 2018, he hits all of Affinity, multiple decks with Aether Vial, Search for Azcanta decks, Tron, Chalice, Prismatic Omen, etc. Plus that Exalted trigger is nothing to scoff at.
A Tier
1x Selfless Spirit
- This 'lil guy is meant to mitigate boardwipes such as Sweltering Suns and Supreme Verdict. However, keep in mind that the opponent is usually going to be tapping out to play the wipe so consider if its better to Chord him in to void the wipe or if it's better to let the wipe happen and Chord for something better with the window of opportunity should you have enough mana without Convoking. He's also a flyer but usually shouldn't be the Sword carrier. I personally leave him in the board.
1x Tireless Tracker
- We only really need or want 1. The card does wonders against slower grindy match-ups but is an expensive chump blocker against other decks. It's borderline guaranteed value.
2x Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
- Thalia is great against most decks but she also hurts us as Chords are meant to be exact on their cost, Swords costing 4 is a lot, that kind of thing. BUT, there are a lot of decks that she's helps us way more than she hurts us. She's a meta call and can be in the 60 or 75.
2x Voice of Resurgence
- Similar to Thalia, it's great against most decks but not everything. Sometimes it's just a 2/2 that doesn't do much. I personally run 1 in the main and 1 more in the board. Take out the 1 in bad matchups, bring in the 2nd in good matchups.
2x Kitchen Finks
- Same thing as Voice. There are some matchups where it does nothing and even in other matchups, it feels like it just staves off a loss. Totally fine in the 75.
2x Scavenging Ooze
- It's not as important to have in a format without Deathrite Shaman, but Scooze is still an extremely powerful card against like 90% of the meta. It just has the same issue as most of the others where it's a 2/2 for 2 that sometimes gains you life in those bad matchups. I run 1 in the main and 1 in the board. Take out the 1 in bad matchups, bring in the 2nd in good matchups.
1x Aven Mindcensor
- A great "gotcha" card, especially having the option to flash it in on our opponents turn 2 or Chord for it on their turn 3. It's best early on and thus is a 1 of, but it's not a bad top deck with its flash and flying. In some cases on the play, we'll get to go Land Dork pass, they play a fetch pass, we play a land and pass, then flash it in when they crack fetch and hopefully brick. From personal experience, I found that I was too often sitting on it in hand, not utilizing my mana so that I could "gotcha" them, and instead found that it still creates such an awkward spot for their fetches that it's worth just flashing it in anyways the turn you planned to bamboozle them. I really like it in the main, but could be a SB card based on local meta or even not at all if not your thing.
1x Elspeth, Knight-Errant
- Similar to Ramunap, she alone creates a new line of attack that gives this deck the versatility and ability to adapt. Unfortunately, she's not Chord-able but being able to drop her on turn 3, protecting herself, and turning every creature into a threat/clock is strong. She is arguably on the cusp of between B and C Tier. I'm playtesting her to get a better idea but been relatively happy.
B Tier and Sideboard only cards are listed further down
