MTGO
Difficulty Ratings: Which Modern Decks Are the Hardest to Play?
A Weaponised Topic
Deck difficulty is a popular topic that often gets weaponized instead of being understood. At a tournament, one does not receive extra points for winning with a difficult strategy, nor does one lose points if the games were easy. Rather, it's a useful metric to consider before choosing a deck, especially a few days before the tournament.
I don’t think any deck on this list is easy
If you want to read more about determining the difficulty as a theoretical concept, check out a piece by Leo Bartolome here.
In this piece, I will focus on very specific decks, ordered by difficulty, and explain why I have ranked them as such on the ladder.
A short disclaimer before we start: I do rank them, and #1, in my opinion, is much easier than #12. However, I don't believe any deck on this list is easy. All of them require extensive knowledge and experience to be played proficiently at a high-level tournament.
Let’s dive in!
From Easiest to Hardest to Play
1. Mono Green Tron
(6 - 2)
75% in MTGO Modern Challenge 32 #12627024 [55 Players] — 05-Apr-2024
$688/270.11 Tix
Maindeck (60)
| Creature [5] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3 Wurmcoil Engine | $17.99 | |
| 2 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger | $29.99 | |
| Artifact [22] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 The One Ring | $79.99 | |
| 4 Chromatic Sphere | $0.69 | |
| 2 Relic of Progenitus | $6.49 | |
| 4 Chromatic Star | $0.35 | |
| 4 Expedition Map | $2.99 | |
| 4 Oblivion Stone | $0.69 | |
| Instant [3] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3 Dismember | $5.99 | |
| Sorcery [9] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 All Is Dust | $4.49 | |
| 4 Sylvan Scrying | $0.59 | |
| 4 Ancient Stirrings | $0.35 | |
| Planeswalker [4] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Karn, the Great Creator | $7.49 | |
| Land [17] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Urza's Tower | $0.69 | |
| 2 Boseiju, Who Endures | $49.99 | |
| 3 Forest | $0.01 | |
| 4 Urza's Mine | $0.79 | |
| 4 Urza's Power Plant | $0.79 | |
| Sideboard [15] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 Chalice of the Void | $54.99 | |
| 1 Cityscape Leveler | $14.99 | |
| 1 Ensnaring Bridge | $15.99 | |
| 1 Haywire Mite | $3.99 | |
| 1 Liquimetal Coating | $0.35 | |
| 1 Cursed Totem | $2.99 | |
| 1 Pithing Needle | $0.59 | |
| 1 Sundering Titan | $0.69 | |
| 1 The Stone Brain | $1.99 | |
| 1 Tormod's Crypt | $0.59 | |
| 1 Walking Ballista | $19.99 | |
| 4 Force of Vigor | $9.99 | |
$270.11 Tix @cardhoarder
$6.75 / Week @cardhoarder
$587.19 @tcgplayer
$788.15 @cardkingdom
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Magic online format
Apprentice and MWS .dec
Tron has been known as one of the easiest entry points to the format. The main reason is that its first couple of turns revolve around doing everything you need to find tron lands and then deploying whatever is left. Those first couple of turns are very scripted and leave little agency.
However, these games where you don’t have tron or you get to choose between numerous payoffs do pose multiple decision points. On top of that, Karn, the Great Creator is a pretty difficult card to play and a lot of tron draws rely on it.
2. Cascade
(3 - 1)
75% in MTGO Modern Preliminary #12620776 [29 Players] — 15-Mar-2024
Maindeck (60)
| Creature [14] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Shardless Agent | $0.49 | |
| 4 Subtlety | $22.99 | |
| 4 Scion of Draco | $2.99 | |
| 2 Tishana's Tidebinder | $11.99 | |
| Instant [4] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Force of Negation | $44.99 | |
| Sorcery [8] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Crashing Footfalls | $2.99 | |
| 4 Lórien Revealed | $3.49 | |
| Enchantment [12] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Leyline Binding | $6.49 | |
| 4 Leyline of the Guildpact | $15.99 | |
| 4 Ardent Plea | $1.99 | |
| Planeswalker [1] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 Teferi, Time Raveler | $8.49 | |
| Land [21] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Misty Rainforest | $23.99 | |
| 1 Breeding Pool | $20.99 | |
| 2 Arid Mesa | $19.99 | |
| 4 Flooded Strand | $29.99 | |
| 1 Forest | $0.01 | |
| 1 Gemstone Caverns | $54.99 | |
| 1 Island | $0.01 | |
| 1 Hallowed Fountain | $10.99 | |
| 1 Lush Portico | $4.49 | |
| 1 Meticulous Archive | $9.49 | |
| 1 Plains | $0.01 | |
| 1 Steam Vents | $17.99 | |
| 1 Temple Garden | $13.99 | |
| 1 Xander's Lounge | $15.99 | |
| Sideboard [15] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 Dismember | $5.99 | |
| 3 Endurance | $27.99 | |
| 2 Magus of the Moon | $10.99 | |
| 2 Force of Vigor | $9.99 | |
| 3 Mystical Dispute | $0.39 | |
| 1 Teferi, Time Raveler | $8.49 | |
| 2 Commandeer | $1.29 | |
| 1 Boseiju, Who Endures | $49.99 | |
$309.25 Tix @cardhoarder
$7.73 / Week @cardhoarder
$876.74 @tcgplayer
$1,013.11 @cardkingdom
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Apprentice and MWS .dec
Cascade is known as ‘as easy as it gets’ nowadays. Your plan is to get to three lands, play a cascade spell and, if necessary, play Force of Negation. With so many free spells in the deck, you don’t need to think which spell to deploy when as you can always do it anyways.
It’s an excellent entry point though since the plan is straightforward but can reward tight play and timing.
3. Rakdos Grief
(3 - 1)
75% in MTGO Modern Preliminary #12619064 [27 Players] — 13-Mar-2024
Maindeck (60)
| Creature [23] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker | $21.99 | |
| 4 Grief | $27.99 | |
| 1 Kroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger | $3.49 | |
| 4 Orcish Bowmasters | $54.99 | |
| 4 Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer | $49.99 | |
| 2 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse | $79.99 | |
| 4 Dauthi Voidwalker | $15.99 | |
| Instant [11] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2 Fatal Push | $2.49 | |
| 2 Lightning Bolt | $1.29 | |
| 4 Not Dead After All | $0.69 | |
| 1 Sheoldred's Edict | $4.49 | |
| 1 Terminate | $0.99 | |
| 1 Undying Evil | $0.49 | |
| Sorcery [6] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2 Molten Collapse | $1.29 | |
| 4 Thoughtseize | $10.99 | |
| Land [20] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Blood Crypt | $17.99 | |
| 2 Bloodstained Mire | $29.99 | |
| 1 Castle Locthwain | $4.99 | |
| 2 Marsh Flats | $19.99 | |
| 2 Polluted Delta | $34.99 | |
| 3 Swamp | $0.01 | |
| 1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire | $12.99 | |
| 3 Blackcleave Cliffs | $2.99 | |
| 2 Verdant Catacombs | $20.99 | |
| Sideboard [15] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2 Blood Moon | $7.99 | |
| 2 Chalice of the Void | $54.99 | |
| 1 Kolaghan's Command | $1.79 | |
| 1 Hidetsugu Consumes All | $2.79 | |
| 2 Leyline of the Void | $3.99 | |
| 2 Magus of the Moon | $10.99 | |
| 1 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse | $79.99 | |
| 1 Lightning Bolt | $1.29 | |
| 3 Cursed Totem | $2.99 | |
$375.38 Tix @cardhoarder
$9.38 / Week @cardhoarder
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Apprentice and MWS .dec
Rakdos has two modes - a super easy mode of turn one Grief with Undying that devolves the game into you attacking a bunch of times and hoping it’s enough, and the opponent hoping they draw something relevant off the top. The second mode is a more Midrangy plan where you need to pace your threats, know what to discard to Fable, properly use Thoughtseize.
4. Domain Zoo
(4 - 0)
100% in MTGO Modern Preliminary #12620776 [29 Players] — 15-Mar-2024
Maindeck (60)
| Creature [19] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Nishoba Brawler | $0.35 | |
| 3 Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer | $49.99 | |
| 4 Scion of Draco | $2.99 | |
| 4 Wild Nacatl | $0.99 | |
| 4 Territorial Kavu | $0.49 | |
| Instant [8] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Lightning Bolt | $1.29 | |
| 4 Stubborn Denial | $2.29 | |
| Sorcery [4] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Tribal Flames | $0.35 | |
| Enchantment [8] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Leyline Binding | $6.49 | |
| 4 Leyline of the Guildpact | $15.99 | |
| Land [21] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 Sacred Foundry | $22.99 | |
| 4 Flooded Strand | $29.99 | |
| 1 Plains | $0.01 | |
| 1 Forest | $0.01 | |
| 1 Overgrown Tomb | $15.99 | |
| 1 Island | $0.01 | |
| 1 Savai Triome | $20.99 | |
| 1 Temple Garden | $13.99 | |
| 1 Breeding Pool | $20.99 | |
| 4 Windswept Heath | $23.99 | |
| 3 Wooded Foothills | $32.99 | |
| 1 Zagoth Triome | $23.99 | |
| 1 Steam Vents | $17.99 | |
| Sideboard [15] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2 Alpine Moon | $1.99 | |
| 2 Chalice of the Void | $54.99 | |
| 2 Cursed Totem | $2.99 | |
| 2 Flusterstorm | $29.99 | |
| 1 Jegantha, the Wellspring | $0.99 | |
| 2 Meddling Mage | $0.69 | |
| 2 Pick Your Poison | $0.35 | |
| 2 Wear/Tear | $0.79 | |
$190.44 Tix @cardhoarder
$4.76 / Week @cardhoarder
$716.00 @tcgplayer
$879.31 @cardkingdom
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Apprentice and MWS .dec
A good honest aggro strategy with big creatures and interaction. The deck plays a lot of traditional Magic so most players could pick it up and play reasonably well.
You have to learn the fetching patterns though as a misstep on the mana front can win or lose you games.
5. Azorius Control
(4 - 2)
66% in MTGO Modern Challenge 32 #12619043 [48 Players] — 11-Mar-2024
Maindeck (60)
| Creature [6] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Solitude | $32.99 | |
| 2 Subtlety | $22.99 | |
| Artifact [6] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 The One Ring | $79.99 | |
| 2 Chalice of the Void | $54.99 | |
| Instant [6] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 Cosmic Rebirth | $0.39 | |
| 4 Counterspell | $1.99 | |
| 1 Logic Knot | $0.35 | |
| Sorcery [10] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2 Lórien Revealed | $3.49 | |
| 4 Supreme Verdict | $2.99 | |
| 4 Prismatic Ending | $0.35 | |
| Enchantment [5] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3 Leyline Binding | $6.49 | |
| 2 Dress Down | $1.49 | |
| Planeswalker [4] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Teferi, Time Raveler | $8.49 | |
| Land [23] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3 Island | $0.01 | |
| 1 Minamo, School at Water's Edge | $34.99 | |
| 4 Misty Rainforest | $23.99 | |
| 1 Breeding Pool | $20.99 | |
| 1 Hallowed Fountain | $10.99 | |
| 1 Thundering Falls | $9.49 | |
| 4 Flooded Strand | $29.99 | |
| 1 Zagoth Triome | $23.99 | |
| 2 Plains | $0.01 | |
| 1 Windswept Heath | $23.99 | |
| 3 Meticulous Archive | $9.49 | |
| 1 Hedge Maze | $7.99 | |
| Sideboard [15] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3 Stern Scolding | $0.69 | |
| 3 Dovin's Veto | $4.49 | |
| 1 Kaheera, the Orphanguard | $0.69 | |
| 1 Wrath of God | $3.99 | |
| 1 Cosmic Rebirth | $0.39 | |
| 1 Dress Down | $1.49 | |
| 2 Trickbind | $23.99 | |
| 1 Day's Undoing | $2.49 | |
| 2 Veil of Summer | $6.49 | |
$365.31 Tix @cardhoarder
$9.13 / Week @cardhoarder
$877.94 @tcgplayer
$1,124.55 @cardkingdom
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Apprentice and MWS .dec
I used to think that control is the epitome of human intellect but my opinion has changed over the years.
The difficulty lies naturally in threat assessment and how you treat your life total as a resource. One hit too many, one spell resolved can be the difference between winning and losing.
However, the curve of a control deck is high enough that you will often just counter whatever you can on turn two if possible, deploy a planeswalker on turn three, and play a Ring or Verdict on turn four. With a high curve, you will typically have just one spell to play on a given turn, so you will play it. It becomes more challenging in the late game when it's not a constraint, but in shorter games, it's pretty straightforward.
6. Goryo’s Reanimator
(5 - 2)
71% in MTGO Modern Challenge 64 #12623705 [90 Players] — 31-Mar-2024
Maindeck (60)
| Creature [18] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Atraxa, Grand Unifier | $32.99 | |
| 4 Fallaji Archaeologist | $0.59 | |
| 4 Grief | $27.99 | |
| 3 Solitude | $32.99 | |
| 2 Griselbrand | $2.29 | |
| 1 Priest of Fell Rites | $0.49 | |
| Instant [16] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Ephemerate | $2.29 | |
| 3 Faithful Mending | $0.69 | |
| 4 Goryo's Vengeance | $17.99 | |
| 1 Force of Negation | $44.99 | |
| 4 Tainted Indulgence | $0.39 | |
| Sorcery [5] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3 Prismatic Ending | $0.35 | |
| 2 Thoughtseize | $10.99 | |
| Enchantment [1] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 Touch the Spirit Realm | $0.79 | |
| Land [20] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Flooded Strand | $29.99 | |
| 1 Godless Shrine | $13.99 | |
| 1 Otawara, Soaring City | $24.99 | |
| 1 Hallowed Fountain | $10.99 | |
| 1 Island | $0.01 | |
| 2 Marsh Flats | $19.99 | |
| 1 Hedge Maze | $7.99 | |
| 1 Plains | $0.01 | |
| 3 Polluted Delta | $34.99 | |
| 1 Shadowy Backstreet | $4.99 | |
| 1 Undercity Sewers | $13.99 | |
| 1 Watery Grave | $15.99 | |
| 1 Swamp | $0.01 | |
| 1 Meticulous Archive | $9.49 | |
| Sideboard [15] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 Teferi, Time Raveler | $8.49 | |
| 1 Flusterstorm | $29.99 | |
| 2 Force of Negation | $44.99 | |
| 2 Subtlety | $22.99 | |
| 1 Solitude | $32.99 | |
| 2 Surgical Extraction | $0.79 | |
| 1 Supreme Verdict | $2.99 | |
| 2 Celestial Purge | $0.35 | |
| 1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn | $15.99 | |
| 2 March of Otherworldly Light | $1.79 | |
$272.72 Tix @cardhoarder
$6.82 / Week @cardhoarder
$949.58 @tcgplayer
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Apprentice and MWS .dec
As far as I'm concerned, Goryo is the perfect deck to bridge the gap between what I'd consider easier decks and the tougher ones. There will be low-agency, low-decision games where you use Grief Ephemerate against the opponent or sequence a surveil into Atraxa into Goryo - and you'll gladly take the free wins when they come.
However, board games where both players have more interaction become much trickier. You also have to factor in your card selection, which is naturally a key decision point.
7. Izzet Murktide
Maindeck (60)
| Creature [15] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Dragon's Rage Channeler | $1.49 | |
| 3 Ledger Shredder | $18.99 | |
| 3 Murktide Regent | $17.99 | |
| 4 Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer | $49.99 | |
| 1 Subtlety | $22.99 | |
| Artifact [4] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Mishra's Bauble | $0.79 | |
| Instant [15] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Counterspell | $1.99 | |
| 3 Lightning Bolt | $1.29 | |
| 2 Spell Pierce | $0.59 | |
| 2 Stern Scolding | $0.69 | |
| 4 Unholy Heat | $0.35 | |
| Sorcery [8] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Expressive Iteration | $0.59 | |
| 4 Preordain | $1.29 | |
| Land [18] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3 Island | $0.01 | |
| 3 Misty Rainforest | $23.99 | |
| 1 Otawara, Soaring City | $24.99 | |
| 3 Scalding Tarn | $22.99 | |
| 4 Spirebluff Canal | $4.49 | |
| 3 Steam Vents | $17.99 | |
| 1 Thundering Falls | $9.49 | |
| Sideboard [15] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 Blood Moon | $7.99 | |
| 2 Brotherhood's End | $7.99 | |
| 1 Cast into the Fire | $0.69 | |
| 1 Cursed Totem | $2.99 | |
| 1 Dress Down | $1.49 | |
| 2 Engineered Explosives | $12.99 | |
| 1 Flusterstorm | $29.99 | |
| 1 Magus of the Moon | $10.99 | |
| 1 Mystical Dispute | $0.39 | |
| 1 Shattering Spree | $1.29 | |
| 2 Stern Scolding | $0.69 | |
| 1 Unlicensed Hearse | $0.79 | |
$198.84 Tix @cardhoarder
$4.97 / Week @cardhoarder
$584.51 @tcgplayer
$713.65 @cardkingdom
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Apprentice and MWS .dec
If your curve tops at two and you can play three different spells on turn three, it won’t be easy to play through every turn flawlessly. Your decision is whether to cast anything, which spells to cast, and in which order to cast them in.
On top of that, you need to track the graveyard size, delirium, Ledger Shredder connive triggers, and constantly assess which threats have to be dealt with.
What helps Murktide is that it involves a lot of traditional Magic, so a solid player can pick up the deck and perform reasonably well. However, it is far from easy.
8. Creativity
(5 - 0)
100% in MTGO Modern League #7920 — 14-Mar-2024
Maindeck (60)
| Creature [7] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3 Archon of Cruelty | $14.99 | |
| 4 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker | $21.99 | |
| Instant [11] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Reprieve | $1.79 | |
| 4 Mana Tithe | $0.59 | |
| 3 Lightning Bolt | $1.29 | |
| Sorcery [8] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Indomitable Creativity | $2.99 | |
| 1 Transmogrify | $0.69 | |
| 3 Prismatic Ending | $0.35 | |
| Enchantment [4] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Leyline Binding | $6.49 | |
| Planeswalker [6] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3 Teferi, Time Raveler | $8.49 | |
| 3 Wrenn and Six | $32.99 | |
| Land [24] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 Elegant Parlor | $4.49 | |
| 1 Raucous Theater | $5.99 | |
| 1 Mountain | $0.01 | |
| 1 Steam Vents | $17.99 | |
| 1 Stomping Ground | $13.99 | |
| 2 Sacred Foundry | $22.99 | |
| 4 Wooded Foothills | $32.99 | |
| 3 Dwarven Mine | $0.35 | |
| 4 Arid Mesa | $19.99 | |
| 4 Scalding Tarn | $22.99 | |
| 1 Jetmir's Garden | $21.99 | |
| 1 Xander's Lounge | $15.99 | |
| Sideboard [15] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3 Pick Your Poison | $0.35 | |
| 1 Plains | $0.01 | |
| 3 Silence | $8.99 | |
| 2 Terastodon | $0.79 | |
| 2 Supreme Verdict | $2.99 | |
| 2 Hallowed Moonlight | $2.49 | |
| 2 Veil of Summer | $6.49 | |
$198.98 Tix @cardhoarder
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Apprentice and MWS .dec
Some may argue that adding a combo to an interactive deck makes it easier, since you’ve got an I-win button. I will argue the contrary. It might make the deck stronger, which I personally agree with, but not necessarily easier per se.
You still play an interactive game but your plan isn’t just ‘interact until they run out of resources and we’ll worry about winning later’. You actually have to make a conscious decision when it’s better to go for it, wait a bit, or abandon the combo plan altogether.
It also changes the way you can use your interaction. While in control decks interaction is to thwart the opponent’s plan, here it can likewise or protect your own proactive plan. It does add a layer of complexity.
9. Hammer Time
(7 - 2)
77% in 龙盾杯 MTG China Open S5 Regional Championship @北京卡豆 [275 Players] — 09-Mar-2024
Maindeck (60)
| Creature [17] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Esper Sentinel | $37.99 | |
| 1 Gingerbrute | $0.35 | |
| 1 Giver of Runes | $9.49 | |
| 3 Ornithopter | $0.39 | |
| 4 Puresteel Paladin | $1.49 | |
| 4 Stoneforge Mystic | $22.99 | |
| Artifact [10] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Colossus Hammer | $3.49 | |
| 1 Cryptic Coat | $2.99 | |
| 1 Kaldra Compleat | $3.99 | |
| 1 Shadowspear | $27.99 | |
| 3 Springleaf Drum | $0.59 | |
| Instant [5] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 Spell Pierce | $0.59 | |
| 4 Surge of Salvation | $1.49 | |
| Sorcery [1] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 Steelshaper's Gift | $4.99 | |
| Enchantment [9] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 Forge Anew | $1.99 | |
| 4 Sigarda's Aid | $8.99 | |
| 4 Urza's Saga | $42.99 | |
| Land [18] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3 Arid Mesa | $19.99 | |
| 2 Hallowed Fountain | $10.99 | |
| 2 Inkmoth Nexus | $21.99 | |
| 3 Marsh Flats | $19.99 | |
| 3 Plains | $0.01 | |
| 1 Sacred Foundry | $22.99 | |
| 1 Seachrome Coast | $4.99 | |
| 1 Sunbaked Canyon | $7.99 | |
| 2 Windswept Heath | $23.99 | |
| Sideboard [15] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2 Cursed Totem | $2.99 | |
| 1 Hibernation | $0.59 | |
| 2 Lavinia, Azorius Renegade | $0.69 | |
| 1 Magus of the Moon | $10.99 | |
| 2 Pithing Needle | $0.59 | |
| 1 Relic of Progenitus | $6.49 | |
| 1 Sanctifier en-Vec | $0.49 | |
| 2 Solitude | $32.99 | |
| 1 Spell Pierce | $0.59 | |
| 2 Wear/Tear | $0.79 | |
$136.56 Tix @cardhoarder
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Apprentice and MWS .dec
This is my cutoff point for ‘difficult’ decks but Hammer absolutely is still in the category.
It’s an aggro-combo strategy that needs to be able to identify when it’s safe to go all-in, when you need to play more grindy, or when you simply can play a resource game.
There are also sequencing decisions regarding when to deploy Urza's Saga, whether to create Constructs, and which creature to equip with the Hammer to achieve the best attacks while also playing around removal as effectively as possible.
10. Golgari Yawmgmoth
Maindeck (60)
| Creature [26] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 Blood Artist | $2.79 | |
| 4 Delighted Halfling | $13.99 | |
| 1 Fulminator Mage | $0.69 | |
| 1 Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons | $0.99 | |
| 1 Ignoble Hierarch | $3.99 | |
| 4 Orcish Bowmasters | $54.99 | |
| 1 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse | $79.99 | |
| 1 Strangleroot Geist | $0.39 | |
| 4 Wall of Roots | $0.35 | |
| 4 Yawgmoth, Thran Physician | $20.99 | |
| 4 Young Wolf | $0.35 | |
| Artifact [3] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3 Agatha's Soul Cauldron | $49.99 | |
| Instant [4] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Chord of Calling | $6.99 | |
| Sorcery [1] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 Eldritch Evolution | $5.49 | |
| Planeswalker [4] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Grist, the Hunger Tide | $8.49 | |
| Land [22] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3 Blooming Marsh | $2.49 | |
| 2 Boseiju, Who Endures | $49.99 | |
| 1 Dryad Arbor | $4.99 | |
| 2 Forest | $0.01 | |
| 1 Nurturing Peatland | $8.49 | |
| 2 Overgrown Tomb | $15.99 | |
| 1 Pendelhaven | $3.99 | |
| 1 Swamp | $0.01 | |
| 1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire | $12.99 | |
| 2 Twilight Mire | $2.99 | |
| 1 Underground Mortuary | $10.99 | |
| 4 Verdant Catacombs | $20.99 | |
| 1 Windswept Heath | $23.99 | |
| Sideboard [15] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 Assassin's Trophy | $3.99 | |
| 1 Elven Chorus | $3.49 | |
| 1 Endurance | $27.99 | |
| 1 Fatal Push | $2.49 | |
| 2 Force of Vigor | $9.99 | |
| 1 Fulminator Mage | $0.69 | |
| 1 Haywire Mite | $3.99 | |
| 1 Legion's End | $0.79 | |
| 1 Pick Your Poison | $0.35 | |
| 1 Pile On | $0.49 | |
| 1 Reclamation Sage | $0.35 | |
| 2 Thoughtseize | $10.99 | |
| 1 Veil of Summer | $6.49 | |
$298.41 Tix @cardhoarder
$7.46 / Week @cardhoarder
$819.53 @tcgplayer
$1,055.81 @cardkingdom
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Apprentice and MWS .dec
Yawgmoth is a creature-combo strategy that has become increasingly complex over time.
Yawgmoth, Thran Physician is already challenging to play with due to its ability, which can be activated at instant speed and can proliferate its own counters (and others)
Its utility ranges from drawing a bunch of cards to sacrificing the board, machine-gunning the opposing board, proliferating your Grist counters, or advancing your opponent's Saga chapters so they miss an effect. There is a lot going on here.
If we add tutors like Chord of Calling and a highly combo-genic Agatha’s Soul Cauldron, it gets super interesting. You also need to know interactions like Cauldron exiling your Grist, granting your Wall of Roots Grist abilities, and then tracking -1-/1, -0/-1, and loyalty counters all at the same time.
11. Amulet Titan
(5 - 0)
100% in MTGO Modern League #7920 — 13-Mar-2024
Maindeck (60)
| Creature [14] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 Azusa, Lost but Seeking | $6.49 | |
| 4 Arboreal Grazer | $0.35 | |
| 4 Dryad of the Ilysian Grove | $12.99 | |
| 4 Primeval Titan | $4.99 | |
| 1 Cultivator Colossus | $14.99 | |
| Artifact [8] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 The One Ring | $79.99 | |
| 4 Amulet of Vigor | $21.99 | |
| Instant [4] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Summoner's Pact | $4.99 | |
| Sorcery [2] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2 Explore | $0.39 | |
| Enchantment [4] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Urza's Saga | $42.99 | |
| Land [28] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Gruul Turf | $0.39 | |
| 1 Selesnya Sanctuary | $0.35 | |
| 4 Simic Growth Chamber | $0.35 | |
| 1 Boros Garrison | $0.35 | |
| 3 The Mycosynth Gardens | $4.99 | |
| 1 Commercial District | $5.99 | |
| 1 Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion | $0.35 | |
| 1 Vesuva | $15.99 | |
| 2 Tolaria West | $1.49 | |
| 3 Forest | $0.01 | |
| 2 Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle | $23.99 | |
| 1 Slayers' Stronghold | $0.49 | |
| 1 Wooded Foothills | $32.99 | |
| 3 Boseiju, Who Endures | $49.99 | |
| Sideboard [15] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3 Defense Grid | $3.49 | |
| 3 Dismember | $5.99 | |
| 1 Engineered Explosives | $12.99 | |
| 2 Force of Vigor | $9.99 | |
| 1 Radiant Fountain | $0.49 | |
| 2 Cursed Totem | $2.99 | |
| 3 Endurance | $27.99 | |
$343.80 Tix @cardhoarder
$8.60 / Week @cardhoarder
$902.15 @tcgplayer
$1,122.67 @cardkingdom
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One of the best but also one of the hardest decks Modern has seen is Amulet Titan, which plays a somewhat different game of Magic.
The very first thing that shows something is up is the land count. With half the deck being lands, it naturally requires a different approach to the matter - different keeps, mulligans, sideboarding.
Moreover, sequencing is the name of the game here. You can play 2 or 3 lands on any given turn. You have to know which to play, in which order, stacking the triggers in the right combination to get to the outcome that you desire.
Last but not least, there are combo-esque kills involving Amulets and Titans, but sometimes the requisite lands are already on the battlefield or in your hand. You need to adjust the known pattern on the fly to accommodate the new circumstances.
12. Hardened Scales
(4 - 0)
100% in MTGO Modern Preliminary #12619061 [34 Players] — 12-Mar-2024
Maindeck (60)
| Creature [18] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Walking Ballista | $19.99 | |
| 4 Patchwork Automaton | $0.99 | |
| 4 Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp | $0.49 | |
| 2 Hangarback Walker | $2.29 | |
| 4 Arcbound Ravager | $13.99 | |
| Artifact [11] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 The Ozolith | $29.99 | |
| 3 Welding Jar | $0.69 | |
| 1 Pithing Needle | $0.59 | |
| 3 Agatha's Soul Cauldron | $49.99 | |
| 1 Springleaf Drum | $0.59 | |
| 2 The One Ring | $79.99 | |
| Sorcery [4] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Ancient Stirrings | $0.35 | |
| Enchantment [8] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Urza's Saga | $42.99 | |
| 4 Hardened Scales | $0.99 | |
| Land [19] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2 Boseiju, Who Endures | $49.99 | |
| 4 Inkmoth Nexus | $21.99 | |
| 2 Gemstone Caverns | $54.99 | |
| 1 Pendelhaven | $3.99 | |
| 2 Cragcrown Pathway | // | $4.99 |
| 2 Echoing Deeps | $0.99 | |
| 6 Forest | $0.01 | |
| Sideboard [15] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2 Tamiyo's Safekeeping | $2.29 | |
| 1 Soul-Guide Lantern | $0.35 | |
| 1 Haywire Mite | $3.99 | |
| 1 Pithing Needle | $0.59 | |
| 2 Force of Vigor | $9.99 | |
| 2 Chalice of the Void | $54.99 | |
| 2 Pick Your Poison | $0.35 | |
| 1 Boseiju, Who Endures | $49.99 | |
| 1 Dismember | $5.99 | |
| 1 Damping Sphere | $0.99 | |
| 1 Grafdigger's Cage | $2.49 | |
$282.70 Tix @cardhoarder
$7.07 / Week @cardhoarder
$943.50 @tcgplayer
$1,152.19 @cardkingdom
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The most difficult deck in Modern right now is Hardened Scales. While some may argue that Titan is either number one or a close second, I believe they are differentiated by one significant metric.
- To be good playing Amulet, you need to be good at Amulet.
- To be good playing Scales, you need to be good at Scales and Magic.
Of course, the reverse doesn’t apply - you won’t win much with Amulet if you are *not* good at Magic. Let me explain. Amulet is a very specific deck that doesn’t play a game of Magic that you’d expect from an average match in Standard or Pioneer. It’s its own beast - like KCI, Storm, or Dredge. Its intricacies are complex but they will largely start and end with Amulet-specific play patterns.
Scales, on the other hand, possesses those inherently Scalesy elements, but it also engages in, say, typical games of Magic involving combat, removal, and playing up the curve. It has been jokingly said that one needs a PhD in mathematics to play Scales proficiently. The arithmetic that must be done on the fly is very taxing and tiring.
With Walking Ballista, Arcbound Ravager, and Hardened Scales in action, timing all the activations well in combat while also playing around interaction becomes extremely convoluted. If we add Agatha's Soul Cauldron to the mix, the combinations become almost endless.
Even Harder: An Honorable Mention
UR Station Breach
Maindeck (60)
| Creature [11] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Emry, Lurker of the Loch | $0.99 | |
| 4 Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer | $49.99 | |
| 2 Rona, Herald of Invasion | $1.79 | |
| 1 Thassa's Oracle | $22.99 | |
| Artifact [15] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 Aether Spellbomb | $0.35 | |
| 3 Grinding Station | $10.99 | |
| 3 Mox Amber | $34.99 | |
| 1 Springleaf Drum | $0.59 | |
| 4 Mishra's Bauble | $0.79 | |
| 3 The One Ring | $79.99 | |
| Instant [7] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3 Spell Pierce | $0.59 | |
| 4 Unholy Heat | $0.35 | |
| Enchantment [7] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3 Urza's Saga | $42.99 | |
| 4 Underworld Breach | $13.99 | |
| Planeswalker [3] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3 Teferi, Time Raveler | $8.49 | |
| Land [17] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Flooded Strand | $29.99 | |
| 1 Island | $0.01 | |
| 1 Sacred Foundry | $22.99 | |
| 4 Scalding Tarn | $22.99 | |
| 1 Mountain | $0.01 | |
| 2 Steam Vents | $17.99 | |
| 1 Thundering Falls | $9.49 | |
| 2 Arid Mesa | $19.99 | |
| 1 Meticulous Archive | $9.49 | |
| Sideboard [15] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3 Wear/Tear | $0.79 | |
| 1 Shadowspear | $27.99 | |
| 3 Prismatic Ending | $0.35 | |
| 2 Engineered Explosives | $12.99 | |
| 2 Force of Negation | $44.99 | |
| 3 Stern Scolding | $0.69 | |
| 1 Tormod's Crypt | $0.59 | |
$379.46 Tix @cardhoarder
$9.49 / Week @cardhoarder
$1,062.98 @tcgplayer
$1,277.97 @cardkingdom
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While I wanted to talk about the tier decks mainly, I want to highlight my personal favourite deck as an honourable mention.
UR Station Breach if included in the list would hover in the Top2-3 spots. I do believe to be super tricky to play optimally and that’s for numerous reasons.
First, it has multiple gameplans. You have to be able to seamlessly transition from being an Unholy Heat control deck to an Urza’s Saga beatdown deck to a Grinding Station combo strategy. You also need to recognise when you take up a certain plan and when to abandon it.
On top of that, the combo itself is relatively easy but there is a plethora of roads that lead to Rome and you need to know them to navigate more complex positions. How do you combo to play around Spell Pierce? Or Endurance? Can you beat Scavenging Ooze? Do Station’s untap triggers matter? Should you hold priority? Does it make sense to play another Breach mid combo? Is it relevant which cards I exile? If you want to be a truly proficient Station Breach player, you need to ask yourself these questions when playing and, preferably, know the answers as well.
Conclusion
And this concludes the ranking! With new cards and meta reshuffles, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the list change in a couple of years or even months.
The main takeaway though is that all decks are hard, because Magic is hard. This is just a fun way to take a look one aspect of those decks, among a myriad of other aspects they have to them.
And as always - hold my hand and let’s pass the turn together. Cheers!