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Main » Articles » Preparing for the NRG Modern 20K

Preparing for the NRG Modern 20K

Kyle Boggemes
Posted on March 30, 2022
 Reddit

Hey everyone!

I'm going to play the NRG 20K Modern Showdown on Saturday and I want to make sure I'm in fighting shape. In the last NRG event I made a deep run in Chicago with Grixis Shadow right before Lurrus was banned. I'm going to do my best to make it back to the elimination rounds.

To get an idea of what decks to play and which to respect let's take a look at the top contenders.

Izzet Murktide | Modern | Kyle Boggemes

Murktide hasn't changed much since Lurrus was banned because it was already playing the strongest creature with a mana value above two. There have been versions of Izzet Good Cards that featured Lurrus, but are fringe compared to this efficient shell.

The strongest Izzet shell plays reactive cards, but the top spells weren't considered with Lurrus in mind. For this reason, you can use your old knowledge of how Izzet's matchups play out in your next event.

I believe Izzet to be the strongest option for Murktide Regent. When I show up to the 20K I don't expect the Grixis Murktide shells to be popular. I would expect to face Izzet Murktide at least once.

Izzet has a rough time against Azorius Control and Four-Color Control which scares me.

Azorius Control | Modern | Kyle Boggemes

This is Guillaume Wafo-Tapa's list from a recent Modern Challenge. He took down the whole thing by leaving Kaheera on the sidelines in favor of everyone's favorite Blue creature, Snapcaster Mage.

March of Otherworldly Light and The Wandering Emperor changed the Azorius Control landscape. In the past Spreading Seas and large numbers of Supreme Verdict forced the deck to play at sorcery-speed. March is able to exile Urza's Saga instead of Spreading Seas and enables Snapcaster Mage.

Opt gets the nod because Spreading Seas was both an answer to Urza's Saga and a cantrip. We still need early library manipulation. Snapcaster Mage means I want an instant instead of a permanent to bounce with Teferi.

I expect Azorius Control to be well represented at the 20K. The good thing about these two versions is that one has a companion and the other doesn't. Once Kaheera is revealed Snapcaster is no longer an issue and I need to play around Chalice of the Void in the maindeck instead.

Azorius Control is a strong deck, but it's very much on the radar. When I build my deck I need to consider the matchup against both the classic version and Guillaume's. Paper Modern doesn't move as quickly as MODO and people like the Kaheera version. A consideration for Azorius Control being expected is to play an additional threat that generates traction.

The deck is fun to play, but it can be grueling over an eight-hour day. Modern decks with a fast clock can allow for turns that take longer to figure out the puzzle, but you need to play Azorius Control quickly at all times. Staying vigilant of the clock is draining. I also feel my win percentage is lower against strong players that dance around my interaction. The top tables of the 20K will be stacked with talent.

Four-Color Omnath | Modern | Kyle Boggemes

Andrew Elenbogen took down the Team Constructed event with Four-Color Control a couple weeks ago alongside Clay Spicklemire and Max McVety. He has revitalized the classic take on 4 Color Control with Eternal Witness and Ephemerate and left Ragavan at home.

The classic take on the archetype is a good metagame call when Hallowed Fountain Control is popular. Control decks can deal with Ragavan which makes blanking removal an appealing option. Eternal Witness and Ephemerate are able to generate value, but come at the expense of being less nimble than the monkey.

Yorion decks are strong against other fair archetypes, but are weaker against linear strategies. If I were to play Four-Color Control I would be afraid to face Temur Rhinos, Living End, Tron, and Burn. Paper events typically have a more varied metagame, but this is a very strong choice for a team tournament and Magic Online as the metagame is very concentrated with the top decks.

Again, picking up Four-Color Control isn't my choice because I have to shuffle eighty cards and fetch a single basic/shock land every turn. If you do play this deck try and establish shortcuts early and often to save time. The deck doesn't require as many turns to win as Azorius Control, but dexterity will eat the clock.

I expect Four-Color to be popular at the 20K because it's a preferred weapon of choice on the NRG circuit. It's favored by some of the top players who will rise to the top. Thankfully most of the cards used to fight Azorius Control line up well against Four-Color.

Cascade

Temur Rhinos | Modern | Kyle Boggemes

Temur Rhinos has made a resurgence with the decline of Grixis Shadow. The poor matchup was overblown, but the perception was that Rhinos can't stand up to giant avatars. It's back with a vengeance because of the strong matchup against Four-Color Control.

There were a few months where Temur Rhinos was virtually non-existent in Modern, but I suspect it will be represented, but not popular. I would be afraid to play Rhinos with Azorius Control being the flavor of the week. It's also rough against Living End while being close against Tron and Burn.

I have a lot of experience with Temur Rhinos and it's very nice that the decision trees are much smaller than most Modern decks. An ideal choice for a long day of Magic. The downside to smaller decision trees is that you have less agency over game outcomes. If you are unpracticed this is a great deck to get into Modern.

Living End | Modern | Kyle Boggemes

Living End is still a solid choice, but Hammertime is much less popular now that Lurrus is banned; an ideal matchup. I see small amounts of Cascade decks in paper and are more represented on MODO, but there's still a chance I face Living End.

If I were playing Living End I would be worried about the Azorius Control decks. Kaheera versions of Azorius Control are scarier than Wafo's list because there are fewer Chalices and Teferis in favor of more White removal, but still not a matchup to be excited about.

Graveyard hate may be more prevalent now that Shadow is less popular. A smaller amount of Sanctifier en-Vecs means the graveyard hate can be used to fight Living End instead. Beware of the sideboard Leyline of Sanctity if you're packing Nihil Spellbomb or Tormod's Crypt.

I'm not tempted to play Living End because the play patterns are very unique. The matchups require some practice. I'm going to put it on the back burner, but plan to investigate in the future.

Golgari Yawgmoth | Modern | Kyle Boggemes

Yawgmoth has been getting more popular and is on my radar. It's weak to Temur Rhinos and lost some Ragavans to prey on.

The matchups against control decks are solid and it's worth investigating if you like toolbox strategies. It's nasty when Yawg can find their namesake card so many ways and churn through the deck once targeted by a removal spell.

I don't expect a significant amount of Living End, but Yawgmoth would be in a good place should I suspect a major resurgence.

Between Rhinos, Yawgmoth, and Omnath I want to be able to deal with four-toughness creatures.

Amulet Titan | Modern | Kyle Boggemes

Sometimes I'm tempted to switch over to Amulet Titan at the last minute, but the games are very hard to play well. You might think to yourself that Titan isn't that hard to play well, but that's untrue. It's hard and only the dedicated will be rewarded.

I like Amulet Titan against Azorius Control as you can ratchet up the amount of Cavern of Souls. Paper tournaments are typically filled with Amulet Titan decks because those who pick up the deck stick with it. The pilots will rest easy knowing there are fewer Shadow decks and Dress Downs.

Hammertime | Modern | Kyle Boggemes

Hammertime isn't on my radar without Lurrus. I still think the deck is powerful, but has a tricky matchup against strong control players. Artifact hate is still relevant because of Amulet Titan's popularity in paper. Most decks playing Urza's Saga are vulnerable to similar interaction even when their game plans are very different.

I enjoy playing Hammertime, but the smallest mistakes are punishing. Over the course of eight hours it can be difficult to play tight the entire time.

Grixis Shadow | Modern | Kyle Boggemes

I'm going to play Grixis Shadow at the 20K this weekend. The list is remarkably similar to the versions with Lurrus.

Murktide Regent works best in Izzet Murktide so I would be playing an inferior shell with Grixis. Street Wraith was problematic because I want to board it out against aggressive decks, but can't due to the low land count.

Jegantha was surprisingly good against Azorius Control. I prefer to play a companion when possible. Shadow can drag both players down to a low-resource scenario and the 5/5 can close.

Given that Grixis Shadow is still a powerful deck without Lurrus it's a good option now that the popularity is waning. Fewer Sanctifiers and Veils.

Kaito has proven to be a great tool against Hallowed Fountain Control so it functions like Tourach, but costs less mana to get the full effect. I still prefer Kolaghan's Command in a swath of matchups, but I'm seeing more pilots opt for maindeck Kaito.

Remember that Kaito's +1 ability is stronger when a creature attacks. It's now correct to kill creatures against Grixis Shadow at the beginning of combat.

Nihil Spellbomb gets the nod because I suspect the mirror will be represented as well as Golgari Yawgmoth. I'm thinking about a split with Soul-Guide Lantern for Leyline of Sanctity out of Living End, but likely won't pull the trigger.

Shadow continues to be my weapon of choice because the metagame is quite diverse. Grixis has the capability to win games quickly and has a decent matchup against all of the decks listed above.

Modern continues to be great. I'm going to give it my all this weekend. I hope to see you there.

Thanks for reading!

-Kyle

TAGS articles, metagame, constructed, analysis, modern, decklist, kyle boggemes, 03302022

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