Modern is one of the most popular ways to play Magic: The Gathering. Created in 2011, the format was created to give cards that had rotated out of Standard some extra life. It also gave competitive players a way to play the game with a much larger selection of cards. Today, Modern remains one of the game's most played formats, offering an experience not seen elsewhere in the game.

What is the Modern Format in Magic: The Gathering?

Modern is a constructed format that uses 60 card decks and a 15 card sideboard. It is one of the three pillars of gameplay alongside Standard and Commander. It features some of the most powerful cards to ever exist in Magic. The format is designed to be relatively fast, with games commonly ending somewhere around turn five. This is why Modern is one of the most competitive ways to play Magic.

Modern also uses a much larger card pool than Standard. It contains the most recent cards, as well as sets dating all the way back to Eighth Edition (2003). Because of this, Modern exists as the middle ground between the strict card pool that exists in your typical Standard rotation and the completely open pool of cards available in Commander.

Why Is Modern So Popular?

There are three main reasons players enjoy Modern:

1. It has a massive pool of cards to build decks with.
2. Cards don't rotate and stay legal forever.
3. There is a diverse meta with many different viable strategies.

Large Card Pool

The first benefit of Modern is its huge pool of playable cards. Any cards from Eighth Edition onward are legal in Modern, except ones on the ban list. A large card pool has a lot of benefits, like encouraging players to try out many different cards or test out different kinds of decks. It also means a greater number of potential answers to threats and a greater variety of sideboard options. This provides some depth of gameplay that would be missed with a stricter card pool.

Non-rotating Format

The format also never rotates. New set releases enter Modern legality, but once a card is Modern legal, it stays legal forever. Any Modern deck you build will stay playable forever, unless a necessary card for the deck becomes banned. This adds a layer of stability to the format, as a player's financial investment into Modern is a relatively safe one, because cards purchased for Modern will never rotate out. This also gives players time to increase their skill in playing that specific deck. They will be able to play the same deck for years and eventually end up with dozens or even hundreds of games under their belt.

Diverse Metagame

The final reason people love Modern is its diverse metagame, which contains many viable strategies and playstyles. The large card pool and non-rotating format mean that every strategy has access to a wide range of cards, especially as new ones are added. No archetype goes unexplored when players have thousands upon thousands of cards to choose from for their deck. Aggro, combo, control, and midrange all have a permanent presence in the Modern metagame.

Who Should Play Modern?

Anyone can play Modern. While Modern is considered a competitive format, the barrier to entry is quite flexible, depending on the environment you wish to play in. New players looking to get into the format will be happy to hear that the cost to get started can be quite low. There are decks that cost less than $100 to put together, though competitive decks may cost a bit more. You will likely find some of these budget decks being played at your local LGS on Modern night.

Casual but consistent players who want to upgrade their deck over time will benefit from the format's non-rotating card pool. There's also room for hardcore competitors to use some of the most powerful interactions and busted cards to ever see print in Magic: The Gathering.

A Quick History of Modern

Before Modern existed, Magic had three main formats for players to participate in: Standard, Extended, and Legacy. Extended, Modern's predecessor was a rotating Constructed format similar to Standard, but with a slightly larger card pool. Modern (then called Overextended) was introduced as a new format with an even larger card pool than Extended.

It would continue to grow in popularity until the Philadelphia Pro Tour in 2011 shifted from Extended to Modern. This signaled the end of Extended and the beginning of Modern. Wizards of the Coast officially codified it in August of the same year as an official format. The name Modern comes from the fact that the cards legal in this set all use the "modern" card frame.

How Does Modern Work?

Now that we know the history and benefits of the format, it's time to discuss the rules of Modern and how to play. Though Modern has some key differences to other Constructed formats, it also shares some similarities.

Deck Construction in Modern

The first step to playing Modern is acquiring a deck to play. Modern is similar to most other Constructed formats; it uses a 60 card deck and a 15 card sideboard. Up to four copies of any legal card can be included in your deck, except basic Lands. You may include as many basic Lands as you need. Nonbasic Lands are subject to the "four of" rule.

What sets are legal in Modern?

Any set starting with Eighth Edition (2003) through the most recent set are legal in Modern. Most other supplemental products like Commander Precons, Secret Lair, Planechase, and Battlebond are not legal in Modern. Universes Beyond sets like The Hobbit and Marvel Super Heroes are also Modern legal. This means you can use both the Aven Cloudchaser you've had since childhood alongside your newly-pulled Bilbo Baggins, Burglar.

The exception to this rule is Modern Horizons I, II, and III. Modern Horizons are special releases designed to release new cards directly into the Modern card pool without needing to rotate them into Standard. Examples of cards from these sets are Urza, Lord High Artificer, Galvanic Discharge, and Ugin's Labyrinth.

The Modern Banlist

Not all cards released since 2003 are Modern legal, as the format has a ban list, much like other Constructed formats. The Modern Ban List contains just over 50 cards. Some examples of banned cards in Modern are Birthing Pod, Krark-Clan Ironworks, and Blazing Shoal. A few of the cards on this list might surprise you, like Gitaxian Probe, as they do not seem too powerful on their own.

Modern's banned list keeps any specific strategies from taking over the metagame, and throttles fast wins while maintaining competitive diversity. It also addresses problematic cards and gameplay to protect the format's long-term health.

The Modern Metagame & Archetypes

Now that we know the rules, let's talk about Modern's metagame. With such a large pool of cards, there are hundreds of different decks to choose from. Modern has a very healthy meta where all the regular deck archetypes have decent representation.

The metagame for Modern changes over time, but that doesn't mean that your deck will ever become competitively irrelevant. The wonderful thing about Modern is that the format is refreshed with a new slew of powerful cards and unique sideboard options with every set release.

Common deck archetypes in Modern:

• Aggro
• Midrange
• Control
• Combo
• Tempo

Aggro

Aggro decks want to attack or burn their opponents down to zero life as quickly as possible. This strategy is very popular, and there are lots of ways to play it. Decks like Affinity, Boros Energy, and Prowess all have different ways to get the early aggression on and put the pressure on the opponent. With such a large card pool, Aggro decks have access to the best Creatures and burn spells from most of Magic's history.

Midrange

Midrange decks want to develop their board and use well-timed interaction to gain a resource advantage that will propel them to victory. Midrange decks provide their players with flexibility and consistency. Playing Creatures with powerful stats, efficient card draw, and early acceleration. Modern has many interesting midrange decks to play, like Dimir Midrange, Death's Shadow, and Jund.

Control

Control in Modern has access to the most powerful removal, counterspells, and stax pieces in Magic. They want to control the game, then use overwhelming card advantage to win. These decks reward a player's patience and resourcefulness. Some of the most popular decks in the format are Jeskai , Azorius , and Grixis control lists. These are all decks that are fantastic at removing threats, countering spells, & limiting the resources of their opponents.

Combo

Combo decks use powerful interactions between cards to claim victory by means other than just attacking the opponent to death. Piloting these decks requires careful planning, but also the ability to think on your feet. These decks are usually found tutoring, drawing cards, and trying to find and protect their game-winning combo. Some of the most powerful combo decks in Modern are lists like Splinter Twin, Amulet Titan, and Storm.

Tempo

Tempo decks are a bit of a mix of aggro and midrange. These decks represent a smaller portion of the overall metagame, but they still have a place of mention in this article due to their constant presence over the years. Tempo decks want to develop a board early, disrupt their opponents, and generally play out their resources faster than their opponent. Tempo decks require good timing and resourcefulness to execute their gameplan effectively.

Common Tempo decks are Delver, Dimir Murktide, and Grixis Tempo.

The Difference Between Modern and Other Magic Formats

Sometimes, the best way to understand something is to compare it to its peers. While Modern shares some things in common with other ways to play, it also has many unique aspects to it. Here's how Modern compares to other Magic formats.

We will compare Modern to the four other major ways to play MTG:

• Modern vs Standard
• Modern vs Pioneer
• Modern vs Legacy
• Modern vs Commander

Standard vs Modern

The main difference between Modern and Standard is the card pool size and cost of entry. Standard has a much smaller card pool. It is a rotating format. That means cards can become too old to be used in Standard after a while. Once per year, the oldest six sets rotate out of Standard.

Modern is also more expensive at a higher level. The costliest Standard decks are usually a few hundred dollars, while Modern decks can cost twice or even three times as much.

Pioneer vs Modern

Pioneer is another 60 card Constructed format with a smaller card pool than Modern. Pioneer goes back to Return to Ravnica. Pioneer is a place where people can keep playing their Standard decks that have since rotated out of the format, which is a role Modern used to fill. Modern is also a much more powerful format than Pioneer, due to its more expansive card pool.

Legacy vs Modern

Legacy is another competitive format, like Modern. Legacy contains almost all cards ever printed in Magic: The Gathering, save for a few. The format is more powerful and more expensive than Modern. Legacy has a larger card pool, ban list, and impact on your wallet. Modern is considered the much more accessible way to play competitive Magic.

Commander vs Modern

The differences here are quite clear and apparent. Commander decks have 100 cards in them, and it is a singleton format. No more than one of each card can be present in your deck, save for basic Lands. Commander is also the most casual way to play Magic, with it often being referred to as the "kitchen table" format.

How To Get Started Playing Modern

While reading about Modern is all well and good, how do we get started playing the format?

Realistically, there are three main steps:

1. Pick a deck
2. Learn the metagame
3. Find somewhere to play

Picking a Modern Deck

Picking a Modern deck to play might be the hardest part. It is the vehicle for playing the game, and how much you enjoy your deck will heavily influence the amount of fun you will have, win or lose. Are you a player who loves combat and running over your opponent? Play aggro. Want to sling spells and disrupt your opponent's gameplan? Control is probably for you. Midrange decks are for those people who just want to play a pile of good cards.

Budget is also another thing to consider. if you are a new Magic player with a small collection, there are some budget Modern decks out there to get you started in the format. Decks like Izzet Prowess are only $500 because of the Lands, which are easily replaceable.

Learning the Metagame

The other important part of getting into Modern is learning about the metagame. There are lots of different types of decks in the format, so it's good to have a decent understanding of the decks you will face. You can use resources like MTGTop8 or MTGGoldfish to look at decks that the pros are using at tournaments. This will give you an idea of what you might see online or at your local LGS.

Finding somewhere to play

The final step, after picking a deck and learning about the meta, is to go play the game! Most LGS will have either a dedicated Modern night, or Modern will be happening at FNM. There will be players there who are interested in the format, if nothing else. You can also play online on Magic: The Gathering Online (MTGO). Decks there cost tix, which can be much cheaper than buying a deck in paper MTG. You can also play anytime, day or night.

We are even hosting several Modern events at this year's CoolStuffCon Orlando (Oct 30th - Nov 1st), with an entire Booster Box up for grabs for the winner! You can see all the CoolStuffCon events here.

Conclusion

The Modern format is different for different people. For some, Modern is an exciting, fast-paced, competitive format where they get to test their skill using the best cards to ever see print in Magic. For others, Modern is a trip down memory lane, letting them revisit some of their fondest memories of the game, using the same cards they have owned since they were kids. There are those who treat Modern as a deckbuilding playground, where a massive card pool that never rotates gives them infinite opportunities to brew up their craziest decks. Now get out there and play some Modern!