The Team Modern Super League continues today at 9 PM Eastern (GMT -4) on twitch.tv/magic. Zack Kanner also contributed to this post.
Welcome back for Week 5 of the Modern Team Super League 2! This week we have Mage Market going up against Pamplemousse. Mage Market is made up of Michael Bonde, Andreas Petersen, and Thomas Enevoldsen, while Pamplemousse is made up of Reid Duke, Gabriel Nassif, and Logan Nettles. Both teams are 1-0 and are playing for a direct berth in the playoffs.
Mage Market Decklists
Mage Market decided to bring are Urza Thopter Sword, Boros Burn, Esper Shadow, Mardu Pyromancer, and Mono-Red Phoenix to their Week 5 showdown with Pamplemousse.
A lot of the new decks from Modern Horizons are returning this week, like Urza Thopter Sword, Boros Burn, and Mono-Red Phoenix. The shocking thing that is here—or not here—is a Hogaak variant. Mage Market decided the last two slots should go to more of a grindy option for this week in Esper Shadow and Mardu Pyromancer.
Esper Shadow
Esper Shadow has the potential to be able to out-grind opposing decks while also putting on a bunch of pressure with Death’s Shadow. With the inclusion of Unearth, the deck is able to potentially grind out opponents by reanimating Death’s Shadow, Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy, and Ranger-Captain of Eos. With six discard spells in the main and access to a fast clock, Esper Shadow can deal with the combo decks a little better than most decks.
Modern Esper Shadow
Mardu Pyromancer
Mage Market’s Mardu Pyromancer list features the inclusion of four copies of Seasoned Pyromancer, giving the deck another way to grind out the opponent. With cards like Faithless Looting, Smiting Helix, Lingering Souls, and other Seasoned Pyromancers, you get a lot of value with the discard part of the ability.
Mardu Pyromancer struggles against big mana decks, but luckily Amulet is on the down tick and Tron is not coming to play this week for Pamplemousse. I think Mardu Pyromancer may be a good choice in the format going forward if you have a good Hogaak plan.
Modern Mardu Pyromancer
| Creatures (9) 4 Seasoned Pyromancer 4 Young Pyromancer 1 Yawgmoth, Thran Physician Spells (28) 4 Lingering Souls 4 Faithless Looting 4 Smiting Helix 4 Inquisition of Kozilek 3 Thoughtseize 1 Dreadbore 4 Lightning Bolt 1 Collective Brutality 3 Unearth Planeswalkers (2) 2 Liliana of the Veil | Lands (21) 4 Blackcleave Cliffs 2 Blood Crypt 1 Sacred Foundry 1 Godless Shrine 2 Swamp 2 Mountain 4 Bloodstained Mire 2 Arid Mesa 2 Marsh Flats 1 Plains Sideboard (15) 1 Plaguecrafter 4 Leyline of the Void 1 Kambal, Consul of Allocation 3 Fulminator Mage 2 Wear/Tear 1 Hazoret the Fervent 1 Dreadbore 2 Plague Engineer |
Urza Thopter Sword
Modern Urza Thopter Sword
Boros Burn
Modern Boros Burn
| Creatures (13) 4 Eidolon of the Great Revel 4 Goblin Guide 1 Grim Lavamancer 4 Monastery Swiftspear Spells (28) 4 Boros Charm 4 Lava Spike 4 Lightning Bolt 4 Lightning Helix 4 Rift Bolt 3 Searing Blaze 4 Skewer the Critics 1 Skullcrack | Lands (19) 2 Arid Mesa 2 Bloodstained Mire 4 Inspiring Vantage 2 Mountain 2 Sacred Foundry 2 Scalding Tarn 1 Wooded Foothills 4 Sunbaked Canyon Sideboard (15) 1 Deflecting Palm 1 Exquisite Firecraft 4 Grafdigger’s Cage 1 Searing Blaze 3 Path to Exile 4 Smash to Smithereens 1 Skullcrack |
Mono-Red Phoenix
Modern Mono-Red Phoenix
| Creatures (14) 4 Monastery Swiftspear 4 Soul-Scar Mage 4 Arclight Phoenix 2 Blistercoil Weird Spells (28) 4 Light Up the Stage 3 Gut Shot 4 Lava Spike 2 Forked Bolt 4 Lightning Bolt 4 Manamorphose 4 Faithless Looting 1 Finale of Promise 2 Lava Dart | Lands (18) 2 Fiery Islet 2 Sunbaked Canyon 14 Mountain Sideboard (15) 2 Anger of the Gods 2 Blood Moon 2 Pillage 4 Surgical Extraction 2 Shrine of Burning Rage 2 Smash to Smithereens 1 Bedlam Reveler |
Pamplemousse Decklists
Much like Mage Market, Pamplemousse has brought a few options to grind, which is expected from this team that includes Reid Duke and Gabriel Nassif. Their lineup consists of Hogaak, Golgari Midrange, Humans, Burn, and Azorius control.
Hogaak Bridge
Pamplemousse’s Hogaak deck is very similar to what we’ve seen before, but their list features a White splash for Wispmare out of the board.
Modern Hogaak Bridge
| Creatures (28) 4 Bloodghast 4 Carrion Feeder 4 Gravecrawler 4 Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis 4 Insolent Neonate 4 Stitcher’s Supplier 4 Vengevine Spells (6) 4 Faithless Looting 2 Darkblast Enchantments (4) 4 Bridge from Below Artifacts (4) 4 Altar of Dementia | Lands (18) 4 Blackcleave Cliffs 3 Blood Crypt 4 Bloodstained Mire 2 Godless Shrine 4 Polluted Delta 1 Swamp Sideboard (15) 2 Fatal Push 4 Leyline of the Void 3 Thoughtseize 1 Ingot Chewer 1 Lightning Axe 4 Wispmare |
Humans
The Humans list also looks fairly stock, with Deputy of Detention in the flex spots. Ranger-Captain of Eos is a fairly new addition to the sideboard over something like to Militia Bugler for they grindy matchups.
Modern Humans
| Creatures (37) 4 Champion of the Parish 2 Deputy of Detention 3 Kitesail Freebooter 4 Mantis Rider 4 Meddling Mage 4 Noble Hierarch 4 Phantasmal Image 4 Reflector Mage 4 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben 4 Thalia’s Lieutenant Artifacts (4) 4 Aether Vial | Lands (19) 4 Ancient Ziggurat 4 Cavern of Souls 4 Horizon Canopy 1 Plains 1 Island 4 Unclaimed Territory 1 Seachrome Coast Sideboard (15) 2 Auriok Champion 2 Gaddock Teeg 3 Ravenous Trap 2 Grafdigger’s Cage 2 Damping Sphere 2 Dismember 2 Ranger-Captain of Eos |
Boros Burn
Boros Burn is a deck that we’ve all seen before and hasn’t changed much in recent memory. However, Pamplemousse built the sideboard with the Hogaak matchup in mind, stocking with four Rest in Peace and two Surgical Extractions.
Modern Boros Burn
| Creatures (13) 4 Monastery Swiftspear 4 Eidolon of the Great Revel 4 Goblin Guide 1 Grim Lavamancer Spells (28) 4 Skewer the Critics 4 Lightning Bolt 4 Boros Charm 4 Searing Blaze 4 Rift Bolt 4 Lightning Helix 4 Lava Spike | Lands (19) 1 Arid Mesa 2 Bloodstained Mire 4 Inspiring Vantage 3 Mountain 2 Sacred Foundry 4 Sunbaked Canyon 3 Wooded Foothills Sideboard (15) 2 Searing Blood 4 Rest in Peace 2 Path to Exile 2 Skullcrack 2 Ravenous Trap 3 Smash to Smithereens |
Azorius Control
Azorius control is another deck we’ve seen before, it is also a deck that continues putting up strong results with multiple MTGO event Top 8s in the face of the Hogaak menace. Given that Gabriel Nassif will be piloting the deck, I trust that he has prepared his list with the tools needed to take down the graveyard strategy.
Modern Azorius Control
| Creatures (5) 4 Snapcaster Mage 1 Vendilion Clique Planeswalkers (8) 2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor 1 Teferi, Hero of Dominaria 3 Narset, Parter of Veils 2 Teferi, Time Raveler Spells (22) 1 Wrath of God 4 Path to Exile 4 Opt 1 Oust 2 Cryptic Command 2 Surgical Extraction 2 Force of Negation 2 Supreme Verdict 1 Mana Leak 1 Spell Snare 1 Logic Knot 1 Timely Reinforcements Enchantments (1) 1 Detention Sphere | Lands (24) 4 Field of Ruin 6 Island 2 Hallowed Fountain 2 Glacial Fortress 4 Flooded Strand 3 Celestial Colonnade 2 Plains 1 Polluted Delta Sideboard (15) 2 Celestial Purge 1 Disdainful Stroke 4 Rest in Peace 1 Vendilion Clique 1 Stony Silence 1 Timely Reinforcements 1 Dovin’s Veto 1 Day of Judgment 1 Baneslayer Angel 1 Force of Negation 1 Monastery Mentor |
Golgari Midrange
The last deck that Pamplemouse is battling with is Golgari Midrange. Golgari used to be the go to midrange deck to combat Izzet Phoenix before the release of Modern Horizons, but since then things seem to have swung back in favor of Jund.
Hexdrinker and Plague Engineer seem like the big additions to this deck. Hexdrinker is an unassuming card on the surface but becomes a mini Progenitus in short order if your opponent doesn’t have an answer to it right away. These grindy midrange decks have traditionally struggled with go wide strategies and Plague Engineer is a nice fix to that problem.
Modern Golgari Midrange
| Creatures (16) 4 Hexdrinker 4 Dark Confidant 4 Tarmogoyf 2 Scavenging Ooze 2 Plague Engineer Planeswalkers (4) 4 Liliana of the Veil Spells (16) 2 Maelstrom Pulse 2 Assassin’s Trophy 1 Abrupt Decay 4 Fatal Push 4 Inquisition of Kozilek 3 Thoughtseize | Lands (24) 4 Blooming Marsh 4 Nurturing Peatland 3 Field of Ruin 4 Swamp 1 Forest 2 Treetop Village 4 Verdant Catacombs 2 Overgrown Tomb Sideboard (15) 4 Nihil Spellbomb 3 Fulminator Mage 2 Collector Ouphe 2 Tireless Tracker 1 Grafdigger’s Cage 1 Plague Engineer 2 Surgical Extraction |
Schedule
With two stacked rosters battling it out I can’t wait to see who emerges victorious when the dust settles. The only way to do that is to watch the games tonight at twitch.tv/magic at 9 PM Eastern or catching our recap Wednesday morning!
Match 1: Reid Duke (Humans) vs Michael Bonde (Urza Thopter Sword)
Match 2: Gabriel Nassif (UW Control) vs Andreas Petersen (Burn)
Match 3: Logan Nettles (Golgari) vs Thomas Enevoldsen (Esper Shadow)
Match 4: Reid Duke (Hogaak) vs Andreas Petersen (Mono-Red Phoenix)
Match 5 (if necessary): Logan Nettles (Burn) vs.Michael Bonde (Mardu Pyromancer)
Match 6 (if necessary): Gabriel Nassif (UW Control) vs Thomas Enevoldsen (Esper Shadow)
Match 7 (if necessary): Reid Duke (Hogaak) vs Michael Bonde (Urza Thopter Sword)