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Main » Articles » Dissecting a Modern Top 8

Dissecting a Modern Top 8

Michael Flores
Posted on August 1, 2023
 Reddit

It's been years since Modern to center stage at the Pro Tour level. For the casual fan, Barcelona was a mix of powerful new decks with at least one or two recognizable archetypes.

But even in the case of Mono-Green Tron, cards from the last few years and sets have resulted in arguable overhauls, new angles, and even rediscovered Staple cards.

Here's what the Sunday lineup looked like:

The PT Barcelona Top 8

  • Rakdos Evoke - *

  • Mono-Green Tron - 111

  • Temur Rhinos - 111

  • Amulet Titan - 1

Return of the King

I guess anyone and everyone is allowed to have an opinion about... Well, anything and everything.

But if you had, say, an informed opinion? The return of Kai Budde to the Sunday stage has to have been the only storyline that any longtime Magic fan really cared about.

I am possibly most responsible for the narrative that Jon Finkel is the unquestioned GOAT of Magic: The Gathering. But it's not actually that clear. I mean don't go around saying "Mike Flores says who the GOAT of Magic: The Gathering is not actually that clear" or anything. First of all no one would believe you. But more importantly I haven't seen Jon IRL since last summer and I'm going over to his house tomorrow.

Rather than re-hash something you've probably read in some form somewhere else, I'll tell you what Jon told me about Kai:

Kai is the greatest statistical outlier Magic has ever seen. Jon has more counting Top 8s at the PT level. But Kai's win rate on Sunday is like nothing any other player before or since has ever accomplished.

The only other time I've heard Jon use the term "greatest statistical outlier" in a competitive sense before was to describe Wilt Chaimerlain. When people talk about the best basketball player of all time, they [at this point, erroneously] jump to Michael Jordan. Without invoking the names of LeBron James or Tim Duncan (who himself was a single buzzer-beating Ray Allen jumper from being 6-0 in the NBA Finals himself), I'll give you a one-meme introduction to Wilt the Stilt:

Wilt scored fifty points per game in 61-62, averaged more minutes played than there are minutes in a game, and pulled down more rebounds than the MVP-winning Bill Russell. For reference, this year, Domantas Sabonis led the league in rebounds at 12.3; or half the rebounds Wilt grabbed in 61-62.

Chamberlain is the only player ever to score 100 points in a game. In 67-68 he inexplicably led the league in assists at 702. For comparison, the unanimous most complete player of all time, LeBron James, last led the league in assists in 19-20; at 684.

Wilt Chamberlain was a center. Kai Budde is a Wilt Chamberlain who won titles like Bill Russell. Seeing him make Sunday was heartwarming to longtime fans like almost nothing else could have been. Kai won more Pro Tours in one year than anyone else has won Pro Tours.

Oh yeah, he also played a deck:

Temur Rhinos | Modern | Kai Budde, Pro Tour The Lord of the Rings

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Temur Rhinos was one of the two most successful decks of Barcelona, as Budde was joined by Marco Del Pivo and Stefano Vinci on the archetype.

Temur Rhinos | Modern | Marco Del Pivo, Pro Tour The Lord of the Rings

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Temur Rhinos | Modern | Stefano Vinci, Pro Tour The Lord of the Rings

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How Does This Deck Work?

The central incentive to Temur Rhinos is Cascade. You play Shardless Agent or Violent Outburst and then always hit Modern Horizons Rare Crashing Footfalls (the "Rhinos" in question). Violent Outburst is an instant that can put 8 power in play on demand. Shardless Agent leaves you a Grey Ogre; or can put the opponent on an explicit two-turn clock.

The deck mostly works because cards are selected for their casting costs. Which, I guess is the same as in all Magic decks. Except here, instead of playing all cheap and efficient cards, Temur Rhinos wants to play all expensive cards so that it doesn't accidentally flip over something other than Crashing Footfalls.

This is a cheap trick at best, because cards like Dead // Gone cost four for purposes of Cascade, but function more like a Shock when interacting with the opponent's side of the battlefield. Ditto for Fire // Ice and Brazen Borrower [or it's Adventuresome cousin Bonecrusher Giant in some versions].

Fury, Subtlety, and Endurance all effectively cost zero mana even though they supposedly cost too much to play with the Cascade engine.

Obsidian Charmaw

What an awesome inclusion by Del Pivo! This card can come down for as little as rr, and can break up the UrzaTron while simultaneously presenting... Let's see... a 4/4 flying Dragon for no more than five mana. Considering that this card will only be in Del Pivo's deck against a deck where its cost reduction is online, we're talking about 4/4 flying Avalanche Riders only in an unusually slow situation. 4/4 for three being far more likely.

Questing Beast

A unique element to Kai's list relative to its two Top 8 brethren is good old Questing Beast. This card was kind of low power in its native Standard. Super cute with an Embercleave, but contemporary to sometimes more attractive "Mulldrifters" like Wicked Wolf.

As a "Baneslayer Angel" Questing Beast can seem out of place in a world where every creature seems to be drawing cards, bouncing permanents, or killing creatures. But its inclusion is a masterwork on the part of the German Juggernaut.

Arguably the most important card of modern Modern is The One Ring. Heavily played in half the Top 8 (and more elsewhere in the metagame), The One Ring... Doesn't quite protect its Burdened ring bearer from an attack from Questing Beast. Combine that with some Rhinos, the double strike on Fury, and The One Ring's own Burdens and a sure win will often crash unexpectedly.

Sixty-One

OMG!

Did you see Dominic Harvey's deck?

Amulet Titan | Modern | Dominic Harvey, Pro Tour The Lord of the Rings

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It's sixty-one cards!

Is this the first time someone has made Top 8 of a Pro Tour at sixty-one cards?

Well, no. Mike "Loco" Loconto won the very first Pro Tour at sixty-two cards. But Harvey's deck is probably cooler.

How Does This Deck Work?

Wow that's kind of a difficult question to answer with brevity. It's got this card Amulet of Vigor, which can combine with lands that normally enter the battlefield tapped to reverse what should normally be a disadvantage.

"Karoo" lands like Simic Growth Chamber and Selesnya Sanctuary don't just make mana the turn they enter the battlefield, they can create exciting or unusual combinations. For example, a Tolaria West in play can come home to play Demonic Tutor. Or, with Dryad of the Illyrian Grove in play you can just play the same Golgari Rot Farm multiple times in a turn to make extra mana.

The big payoff to this deck is the big guy:

Primeval Titan

You can do lots of different things with Primeval Titan. But one thing that Amulet Titan players love to do is get Slayers' Stronghold and Boros Garrison. Nominally the Titan half of the deck name searches for these two lands and puts them into play tapped. But we all know what the Amulet side has to say about that!

All of a sudden you have access to rw... Which happens to be the activation cost on Slayers' Stronghold! Now your Primeval Titan can attack immediately and search up another two lands!

If you're under pressure you might find the one sideboarded Radiant Fountain for a little life gain. Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion can help you win the game in a single turn sometimes. I mean this is a heck of an oncoming Primeval Titan, right? You didn't even start the turn with it in play! But if you have Dryad of the Illyrian Grove in play already - you know, meaning all your lands are Mountains - Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle can slam shut the classic Prime Time window.

The Deck Previously Known as "Scam"

Rakdos Evoke | Modern | Jake Beardsley, Pro Tour The Lord of the Rings

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Rakdos Evoke, as it is now called, is a Black-Red deck that plays many creatures with Evoke; predominantly Grief and Fury.

The one copy of the deck, played by eventual Champion Jake Beardsley, is kind of the opposite of all the other decks in the Top 8. Most of the rest of them are about building advantages and wide boards; putting lots of permanents in play. If not Magic as Garfield intended, exactly, most of the rest of those decks obey the fundamental rules of resources management.

Rakdos Scam isn't like that at all. It is very much the flavor of a low resource Black beatdown deck... The kind that might have sacrificed a City of Traitors in years past to gamble on a Phyrexian Negator. The difference here is that, amped by Modern Horizons II, the definition of "low resource" kind of shifts.

This deck can play Grief or Fury on the first turn via its alternate casting cost... And then save it with Undying Malice or Feign Death. As such the deck has the flavor of combo or reanimator; but presents the tactical challenges of a Suicide Black.

You'd think that a deck with Thoughtseize and Dauthi Voidwalker would err on the side of Grief when given the option. Grief, Grief again, pass the first turn with a 4/3 body in play? Where can I sign up for that?

But a first turn Fury is a heck of a clock. Essentially eight damage per turn with a +1/+1 counter, Fury threatens to close out the game before the opponent can find an answer for a 4/4 on the first turn.

Rakdos Evoke is a showcase of Modern Horizons II cards. Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer is like Plan C. Perhaps its most defining tool is this one:

Dauthi Voidwalker

In the Finals, Beardsley elected to pass on a first-turn Thoughtseize so he could sandbag it for when he had the Dauthi Rogue in play already. Jake's patience was rewarded with a faster Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger than Tron can even muster.

Rakdos Evoke has a ton of disruption. So, if you can get a clock going? It's tough for many players to come back. Perhaps most vulnerable are the big mana wing of the Modern metagame. 1 + 2 Blood Moons are ferocious against Tron and other special lands decks. Jake can deploy a Blood Moon on turn two with a Ragavan that is almost certain to make it to the second turn attack phase.

Defender of the Universe

Everyone knows br is called Scam.

It's always been Scam.

Have you ever played against it? You'd know why.

"We have to name decks based on color and functionality," say the apologists. "Just look a Temur Rhinos. It's a Blue-Red-Green deck that, you know, makes Rhinos. Or Amulet Titan. It's based around those two cards.

"So obviously you can't call a deck Scam. That's not descriptive at all. It's a Black-Red deck with Elemental Incarnations. So 'Rakdos Evoke.'"

That makes perfect sense. Except this deck is called Tron:

Mono-Green Tron | Modern | Christian Calcano, Pro Tour The Lord of the Rings

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Tron, like the computer video game Disney movie?

Actually, no.

"Tron" is named after Voltron, Defender of the Universe. The 1980s Japanimation import(s) where five lions (or fifteen vehicles) came together to assemble a robotic god; or, like a different robotic god.

The "Tron" refers to the coming together or assemblage of those lions or vehicles, the way that Urza's Tower, Urza's Power Plant, and Urza's Mine make something far greater than 3.

Nobody's trying to change Tron's name!

The above list played to the Finals by New York favorite (and one-time Top 8 Magic Mockvitational winner) Christian Calcano is highly recognizable for those familiar with the Modern metagame.

The biggest addition here is The One Ring. Calcano played 3 + 1 copies, as Karn, the Great Creator can find the fourth... Effectively representing seven copies of The One Ring.

This deck's job is to go big... Very, very, big. 10/10 big... And that's if it isn't being uncharitable by restarting the game or blowing up all your permanents first.

Mono-Green Tron | Modern | Simon Nielson, Pro Tour The Lord of the Rings

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Mono-Green Tron | Modern | Javier Dominguez, Pro Tour The Lord of the Rings

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Javier Dominguez and Simon Nielsen repeated their Top 8s from Pro Tour March of the Machine just two months ago with the Handshake version of Tron.

While many of the differences between Calcano's deck and the Handshake seem cosmetic, it is notable that their team played three main deck Dismembers. This seemingly small delta allows for fast interaction against fast-but-problematic creatures like Ragavan or Dauthi Voidwalker.

The quietly most important card in Tron might be relative newcomer Haywire Mite.

Haywire Mite costs 1 + g for what seems very much like a Naturalize... For about the cost of a Naturalize.

But its key differences make all the difference.

First of all, Haywire Mite is an artifact, so you can stow it in the sideboard but access it in Game 1 with Karn, the Great Creator. Not insignificantly, the two life attached can be the difference in close games. Tron is one of the most powerful decks going long, but will often take a beating in the early turns. Even if a deck has the answer to a fast clock, that answer might come with a four-life penalty attached.

Finally, Haywire Mite exiles its target... It doesn't merely destroy like a Naturalize would at 1g. This small difference means that it can dispose of The One Ring. In the Finals, Calcano actually found Haywire Mite to exile his own The One Ring before the Burden counters became unmanageable.

You may be confused how a deck with such expensive cards can play only 18 lands. Besides the fact that some of them tap for two or even three mana, don't forget that Sylvan Scrying, Ancient Stirrings, and Expedition Map are all de facto lands. In addition Relic of Progenitus, Chromatic Star, and Chromatic Sphere both help the Tron players hit a light requirement for g and draw into those precious few lands.

LOVE

MIKE

TAGS articles, pro tour, constructed, tournament reports, analysis, top 8, modern, decklist, mike flores, michael flores, kai budde, the lord of the rings, tales of middle-earth, the lord of the rings: tales of middle-earth, 08012023, pro tour the lord of the rings

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