In total, 243 Modern decklists were submitted for Pro Tour Modern Horizons 3, but some stand out more than others. The spiciest decks use innovative combinations of cards, represent a novel archetype, or do something that no one saw coming. In this article, we're taking a closer look at eight Modern decks that stood out to me the most. All of them leverage new cards from Modern Horizons 3, and all stand a real chance at winning the Pro Tour. Let's dive into this brand-new metagame!
1 Aven Interrupter4 Nadu, Winged Wisdom1 Endurance4 Springheart Nantuko1 Bristly Bill, Spine Sower1 Vizier of Remedies4 Stoneforge Mystic4 Devoted Druid1 Haywire Mite4 Delighted Halfling1 Sylvan Safekeeper1 Dryad Arbor4 Chord of Calling1 Lightning Greaves1 Springleaf Drum1 Luxior, Giada's Gift1 Shuko1 Viridian Longbow4 Urza's Saga4 Windswept Heath2 Temple Garden1 Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth4 Misty Rainforest1 Lush Portico1 Island1 Hedge Maze1 Hallowed Fountain2 Forest1 Breeding Pool1 Plains1 Boseiju, Who Endures1 Solitude2 Endurance1 Skyclave Apparition1 Aven Interrupter2 Drannith Magistrate1 Soulless Jailer2 Force of Vigor1 Kaldra Compleat1 Batterskull1 Assimilation Aegis1 Aether Spellbomb1 Blazing TorchMany players at Pro Tour Modern Horizons 3 registered decks that utilize Nadu, Winged Wisdom, alongside Shuko and Springheart Nantuko to essentially draw their entire deck, winning the game through Endurance loops or good old Thassa's Oracle. The most unique variation of this Bird Wizard-based build comes from Christopher Henderson, who qualified via the U.S. Regional Championship.
662345 Devoted Druid 198383Henderson's unique element in the deck is Devoted Druid. On its own, it's a fine two-drop for the deck, acting like the more ubiquitous Wall of Roots.I It contributes towards Chord of Calling, provides a creature on the battlefield for Nadu, and ramps ahead for Urza's Saga activations. However, when combined with Vizier of Remedies or Luxior, Giada's Gift, Devoted Druid adds infinite mana and infinite untaps, which Viridian Longbow can turn into infinite damage.
To bridge the different combos in the deck, Stoneforge Mystic serves as the glue that holds it all together. There's only one Shuko and only one Luxior, Giada's Gift in the deck, but Stoneforge Mystic can fetch whichever one you need. If you see Nadu, Winged Wisdom early on, then you can fetch Shuko and go off. If you instead draw Devoted Druid, then you can switch plans and grab Luxior, Giada's Gift. The result is a beautiful marriage between different combo strategies, forcing the opponent to respect multiple angles.
3 Chatterfang, Squirrel General1 Ruthless Lawbringer1 Peregrin Took1 Boggart Trawler4 Warren Soultrader1 Elas il-Kor, sad*stic Pilgrim2 Marionette Apprentice3 Orcish Bowmasters4 Samwise Gamgee1 Viscera Seer3 Cauldron Familiar1 Sylvan Safekeeper4 Gilded Goose2 Delighted Halfling4 Collected Company4 Chord of Calling1 Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth4 Windswept Heath4 Verdant Catacombs1 Underground Mortuary1 Forest1 Swamp2 Phyrexian Tower2 Overgrown Tomb1 Godless Shrine1 Boseiju, Who Endures1 Lush Portico1 Temple Garden1 Blooming Marsh3 Archon of Emeria1 Tireless Tracker2 Dauthi Voidwalker1 Collector Ouphe1 Haywire Mite3 Thoughtseize2 Flare of Malice2 Fatal PushJesse Colford, who qualified for his first Pro Tour at the U.S. Regional Championship earlier this year, is the only player in the tournament to register Warren Soultrader, a powerful new combo enabler from Modern Horizons 3.
662262 617052 522227Warren Soultrader enables multiple combos in this deck. First of all, if you control Warren Soultrader, Samwise Gamgee, Cauldron Familiar, and a Food, then you can sacrifice the Familiar, bring it back, create a Food, and loop for infinite drains. Of course, this combo was possible with Viscera Seer before Modern Horizons 3 released. While Viscera Seer remains in the deck as a Chord of Calling target, Warren Soultrader unlocks additional combos that transform this deck into a possible powerhouse.
If you control Warren Soultrader, Chatterfang, Squirrel General, and a Squirrel, then you can sacrifice a Squirrel, create a Treasure and a Squirrel, and loop. Each iteration of the loop turns one life into one Treasure. With Samwise Gamgee or Peregrin Took to create Food along the way, this translates into infinite life. With Marionette Apprentice or Elas il-Kor, sad*stic Pilgrim on the battlefield, all of these dying Squirrels quickly take the opponent down to zero life. With so many different combos, this deck always has a surprise in store!
3 Nulldrifter2 Drowner of Truth4 Devourer of Destiny1 Sowing Mycospawn4 Thought-Knot Seer4 Eldrazi Linebreaker4 Wastescape Battlemage4 It That Heralds the End4 All Is Dust4 Dismember4 Kozilek's Command4 Cavern of Souls4 Secluded Courtyard4 Unclaimed Territory4 Ugin's Labyrinth4 Eldrazi Temple1 Gemstone Caverns1 Mountain1 Kozilek, the Broken Reality3 Sowing Mycospawn4 Trinisphere2 Damping Matrix2 Disruptor Flute1 Chalice of the Void2 Relic of ProgenitusWhile many players brought Eldrazi decks with Urza's lands or Through the Breach, there are various ways to build around the sheer scale of these colorless creatures. Greg Michel and Matt Sikkink Johnson, both of whom qualified via their performance at Pro Tour Thunder Junction, registered a spicy Temur version of the Eldrazi deck.
662161 Eldrazi Linebreaker Wastescape BattlemageUsing Ugin's Labyrinth or Eldrazi Temple, this deck can start with It That Heralds the End on turn one, follow that up with Eldrazi Linebreaker on turn two, and swing for eight damage. With the right draw, it's possible to win as early as turn three. Meanwhile, It That Heralds the End helps cast Devourer of Destiny or All Is Dust, the latter of which acts as a one-sided sweeper since all the deck's creatures are devoid of color. This is an aggro deck that packs a punch!
Even though this deck does not run a single Island or Forest, it can easily pay the kicker cost of Wastescape Battlemage or the evoke cost of Nulldrifter, providing value in the mid-game. All you have to do is name Eldrazi with Cavern of Souls, Secluded Courtyard, or Unclaimed Territory, and you'll have access to any color (or lack thereof) of mana you need.
4 Slickshot Show-Off4 Monastery Swiftspear4 Soul-Scar Mage4 Dragon's Rage Channeler3 Assault Strobe3 Scale Up1 Legion Leadership2 Blossoming Defense2 Monstrous Rage3 Mutagenic Growth4 Lightning Bolt4 Lava Dart4 Mishra's Bauble1 Underworld Breach2 Wooded Foothills1 Commercial District2 Bloodstained Mire3 Scalding Tarn3 Arid Mesa3 Stomping Ground3 Mountain4 Questing Druid3 Harsh Mentor2 Pick Your Poison2 Abrade2 Snakeskin Veil2 Tormod's CryptBrian Boss, who qualified by taking his Standard Boros Prowess deck to a great result at Pro Tour Thunder Junction, brought a unique take on Modern Gruul Prowess to Pro Tour Modern Horizons 3. While Monastery Swiftspear and Slickshot Show-Off are standard inclusions for the archetype, Boss'stake is the only deck at the tournament to include Soul-Scar Mage, Assault Strobe, Scale Up, Legion Leadership, Blossoming Defense, Monstrous Rage, and Snakeskin Veil.
Scale Up 194119 Mutagenic GrowthThe unique part of the deck is the combo angle of Scale Up and Assault Strobe. With Soul-Scar Mage on turn one, you can play both cards on turn two to create an 8-power double-striker. Add Mutagenic Growth, and you can deal lethal damage as early as turn two!
To support this plan, Monstrous Rage gives trample and Blossoming Defense provides protection from opposing removal spells. Moreover, this is the only deck in the entire tournament to use Legion Leadership, which acts as a backup Assault Strobe while supporting the mana base. It's not just an uncommon for draft—it has Modern pedigree as well!
4 Vengevine1 Wonder4 Prized Amalgam4 Psychic Frog3 Narcomoeba4 Merfolk Secretkeeper4 Stitcher's Supplier4 Hedron Crab2 Gravecrawler4 Creeping Chill3 Flare of Denial4 Otherworldly Gaze1 Undercity Sewers1 Swamp1 Island3 Watery Grave1 Overgrown Tomb4 Polluted Delta3 Verdant Catacombs4 Misty Rainforest1 Breeding Pool2 Foundation Breaker2 Haywire Mite2 Toxic Deluge2 Flare of Malice1 Flare of Denial1 Dismember4 Leyline of the Void1 Boseiju, Who EnduresMartin Quiroga, who qualified via the Magic Online Champions Showcase, registered the only deck at the tournament to include Vengevine, Prized Amalgam, or Narcomoeba.
Vengevine 662351 662214The game plan of this deck is straightforward: Use cards like Merfolk Secretkeeper, Hedron Crab, or Stitcher's Supplier to mill yourself, filling up your graveyard with creatures that can return from the graveyard to the battlefield. In particular, with one or more copies of Vengevine in your graveyard, you can cast two creatures in the same turn, return each Vengevine, trigger Prized Amalgam, then build up an enormous board state.
Modern Horizons 3 boosted this archetype with several sweet additions. First of all, Psychic Frog helps to discard any copies of Vengevine or Prized Amalgam you might have drawn, while leveraging all the self-mill effects to gain flying turn after turn. The other new addition is Flare of Denial, a card that fits the deck perfectly. Narcomoeba and Prized Amalgam make the perfect sacrifice fodder, as they typically entered the battlefield for free. As a result, Flare of Denial yields excellent interaction, making Sultai Vengevine a real contender against decks weak to disruption and massive boards.
3 Solitude3 Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury1 Snapcaster Mage1 Lórien Revealed2 Expressive Iteration3 Wrath of the Skies2 Prismatic Ending1 Expansion3 Memory Deluge4 Brainsurge1 Force of Negation4 Counterspell3 Galvanic Discharge2 Tune the Narrative1 Spell Snare3 Wilderness Reclamation1 Commercial District2 Cascade Bluffs1 Meticulous Archive1 Breeding Pool1 Thundering Falls1 Island1 Hallowed Fountain1 Steam Vents1 Sacred Foundry2 Arid Mesa4 Flooded Strand3 Scalding Tarn2 Arena of Glory2 Plains1 Obsidian Charmaw1 Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury3 Drannith Magistrate1 Wrath of the Skies1 Mystical Dispute1 Force of Negation3 Consign to Memory1 Surgical Extraction1 Soul-Guide Lantern1 Leyline Binding1 Dress DownRei "cftsoc" Zhang, who made the Top 8 at Pro Tour Thunder Junction and always dazzles with spicy combo brews, was the only player at Pro Tour Modern Horizons 3 to bring Wilderness Reclamation to the event. This previously banned-in-Standard enchantment essentially doubles your mana as long as you can spend it at instant speed.
Wilderness Reclamation 662205Memory Deluge is one of the best ways to spend Wilderness Reclamation mana, but it has traditionally been difficult to make consistent good use of the enchantment in Modern. Enter Brainsurge. All of a sudden, you're digging four cards deep, then cracking a fetch land to shuffle, ensuring enough action spells to use on your turn and your opponent's. An alternative line of play with Brainsurge is to put Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury on top of your library, play a surveil land to put it into the graveyard, and finally escape it with mana from Arena of Glory to get an immediate attack trigger.
If the game goes long, then the enormous amount of card draw in the deck basically ensures that you'll find Expansion // Explosion, which can deal lethal damage to the opponent in your end step. Tap all of your lands in response to Wilderness Reclamation's trigger, untap them, and then shoot for the stars with X=20 or higher.
4 Murktide Regent2 Subtlety4 Psychic Frog4 Orcish Bowmasters3 Deep Analysis4 Preordain1 Force of Negation2 Drown in the Loch4 Counterspell4 Fatal Push3 Spell Snare3 Spell Pierce3 Consider2 Scalding Tarn3 Island2 Undercity Sewers2 Watery Grave2 Flooded Strand2 Misty Rainforest4 Darkslick Shores2 Polluted Delta1 Subtlety1 Shadows' Verdict1 Toxic Deluge3 Break the Ice1 Force of Negation2 Stern Scolding3 Consign to Memory1 Spell Snare2 Nihil SpellbombYuta Takahashi, the 2021 Magic World Champion, finalist at Pro Tour Thunder Junction, and the Faerie Mastermind himself brought a unique black-blue deck to Pro Tour Modern Horizons 3. "I really like my deck," he said beforehand, and so do I.
662351 Deep Analysis Murktide RegentLabeled as Dimir Murktide, the basic plan is to use countermagic, spot removal, and card draw spells to fill the graveyard for Murktide Regent, quickly turning it into a two-mana 8/8 flier. In that sense, it's similar to Izzet Murktide, just with a different interactive suite.
But the real standouts are the new-to-Modern cards from Modern Horizons 3: Psychic Frog and Deep Analysis. Together, they evoke memories of the Psychatog decks that dominated Standard back in 2002, bringing a lot of nostalgia to players who played at that time. Back then, the original Psychatog would often discard Deep Analysis, allowing you to flash it back for two mana while boosting its power. Psychic Frog is a sweet throwback to the original Psychatog, and Yuta Takahashi is showing that similar synergies and interactions are possible in the new Modern.
3 Narset, Parter of Veils2 Teferi, Time Raveler2 Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury4 Snapcaster Mage1 Day's Undoing4 Wrath of the Skies1 Rush of Inspiration4 Counterspell4 Tune the Narrative3 Orim's Chant4 Galvanic Discharge4 The One Ring1 Geier Reach Sanitarium1 Thundering Falls1 Steam Vents1 Elegant Parlor3 Scalding Tarn1 Sacred Foundry2 Plains3 Mystic Gate1 Minamo, School at Water's Edge1 Meticulous Archive2 Island1 Hall of Storm Giants1 Hallowed Fountain4 Flooded Strand1 Arid Mesa1 Narset, Parter of Veils1 Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury2 Drannith Magistrate1 Day's Undoing4 Celestial Purge4 Consign to Memory1 Orim's Chant1 The Stone BrainPatrick Wu and Kevin Anctil registered a unique take on Jeskai that is closer to a prison strategy than a traditional control deck. Kevin Anctil recently dazzled with the innovative Orzhov Bronco at Pro Tour Thunder Junction, while Patrick Wu made Canadian Regional Championship Top 8s across Modern, Pioneer, and Standard by basically playing Azorius Control every time. Together, they registered a spicy list for Pro Tour Modern Horizons 3.
Orim's Chant Narset, Parter of VeilsThe defining key card in the deck is Orim's Chant. It's obviously great at stifling a Ruby Storm player mid-combo, but its applications go way beyond that. When you cast Orim's Chant with kicker in your opponent's upkeep, they are prevented from casting spells or attacking during that turn, almost turning it into a Time Walk. When you additionally control Teferi, Time Raveler, then the opponent can't even respond with instants. This deck can chain Orim's Chant by finding them with Narset, Parter of Veils, flashing them back with Snapcaster Mage, or shuffling them back with Day's Undoing. By Orim's Chant-ing turn after turn, you can basically lock your opponent out of the game.
Another prison-type lock can be established by combining Narset, Parter of Veils and Geier Reach Sanitarium. If the opponent is empty-handed as they start their turn, an activation of the land in your opponent's draw step forces them to discard the card they just drew, as the static ability of Narset prevents them from drawing additional cards. All of this is wrapped up in a typical Jeskai shell with Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury and all the familiar energy cards. The core is similar to many other Jeskai decks, but the addition of Orim's Chant gives this deck an entirely different feel.
In conclusion, if you were looking for a brand-new Modern deck to try out, then give one of these eight decks a try! They might be the key to victory at Pro Tour Modern Horizons 3, and if they do well, then you'll surely be able to see them in action on this weekend's livestream.
