Team Nova started the year off right winning the first SCG Open of the season in Columbus last week. Here’s what the team recommends for SCG Knoxville this weekend. These decks are what the members are currently planning to register in the event—if you have any questions about the lists or are interested in a sideboard guide for any of these decks check out our Discord by signing up.
Chad, Drake, Harlan, and Kevin
Bant Stoneblade
| Creatures (20) 4 Birds of Paradise 4 Noble Hierarch 4 Ice-Fang Coatl 4 Stoneforge Mystic 4 Spell Queller Planeswalkers (8) 4 Oko, Thief of Crowns 2 Teferi, Time Raveler 2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor Spells (11) 4 Path to Exile 3 Force of Negation 2 Arcum’s Astrolabe 1 Sword of Feast and Famine 1 Batterskull | Lands (21) 1 Breeding Pool 2 Field of Ruin 1 Hallowed Fountain 1 Horizon Canopy 4 Misty Rainforest 2 Snow-Covered Forest 2 Snow-Covered Island 2 Snow-Covered Plains 1 Temple Garden 1 Waterlogged Grove 4 Windswept Heath Sideboard (15) 2 On Thin Ice 2 Veil of Summer 1 Disdainful Stroke 2 Winds of Abandon 2 Ashiok, Dream Render 2 Dismember 2 Mystical Dispute 2 Vendilion Clique |
It’s no surprise to see Harlan and Kevin sticking with Bant Stoneblade this week after winning both the Open and Modern Classic at SCG Columbus last weekend. Chad and Drake join their ranks in exiling spells and connecting with swords this weekend in Tennessee.
Only minor tweaks were made to the list in the form of the addition of a fourth copy of Birds of Paradise to more reliably power out the best card in Modern, Oko, Thief of Crowns. The mana bird replaces the third copy of Arcum’s Astrolabe from the main deck. Additionally on the sideboard you’ll find the replacement of the third Ashiok, Dream Render with a second Vendilion Clique to help play to the board versus big mana strategies.
Ally and Dylan
Sultai Whirza
| Creatures (12) 4 Gilded Goose 4 Emry, Lurker of the Loch 4 Urza, Lord High Artificer Planeswalkers (4) 4 Oko, Thief of Crowns Spells (24) 2 Metallic Rebuke 2 Whir of Invention 2 Cryptic Command 2 Engineered Explosives 4 Mishra’s Bauble 4 Mox Opal 2 Aether Spellbomb 4 Arcum’s Astrolabe 1 Sword of the Meek 1 Thopter Foundry | Lands (20) 2 Breeding Pool 2 Flooded Strand 2 Misty Rainforest 2 Mystic Sanctuary 4 Polluted Delta 2 Scalding Tarn 4 Snow-Covered Island 1 Snow-Covered Swamp 1 Watery Grave Sideboard (15) 3 Fatal Push 1 Veil of Summer 2 Abrupt Decay 1 Assassin’s Trophy 3 Ashiok, Dream Render 3 Mystical Dispute 2 Tireless Tracker |
We believe that the Whir of Invention and Thopter/Sword package is a useful tool for solving some of the tougher matchups in the field, such as being able to slam the door shut against the Primeval Titan decks that are growing in popularity in Modern. It’s nice to always have a clear avenue to victory in complex or convoluted games that you may otherwise have no business winning.
Urza, Lord High Artificer and Primeval Titan are the two best things to be doing in Modern currently and our sideboard reflects that. It’s unlikely that you can go too wrong with playing some form of Urza, Lord High Artificer this weekend.
Matt Dilks
Amulet Titan
Running it back this weekend. What else can I say at this point? It’s more interesting when I don’t play Amulet than when I do. Beast Within is a card that’s been on the back burner and I think it will be a good catch all for this weekend. This is the new stock list.
Do you think the team can bring home another trophy this weekend? Let us know on Twitter! @TeamNovaMTG