Hello, and welcome back to Metagame Mentor, your weekly guide to the top decks and latest Constructed developments on the path to the Pro Tour. The most common path to Pro Tour qualification is through a strong performance at a Regional Championship, and the typical way to qualify for a Regional Championship is via a Regional Championship Qualifier (RCQ). RCQs are open to everyone, and the current round features Modern as the designated format for in-store Constructed events.

Modern was recently shaken up a major banned and restricted announcement: Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury and Lotus Field were banned, while Violent Outburst and Umezawa's Jitte were unbanned. Now, several weeks later, it's the perfect time to assess where the metagame has settled. This article provides a Modern format primer, highlighting the game plans and defining cards of the top fifteen decks in the current metagame.

The Modern Metagame in May 2026

Modern is a nonrotating 60-card format based on expansion sets, core sets, and straight-to-Modern sets from Eighth Edition forward, save for cards on the banned list. With its deep card pool spanning over 22 years of card history, Modern boasts intricate card interactions and a vast array of viable strategies.

To capture a metagame snapshot, I analyzed over 1,000 successful decks from tournaments held over the past two weeks. My dataset drew from every published Magic Online list from scheduled events between May 26 and June 8, including the 409-player Modern RC Super Qualifier, alongside published decklists from a selection of tabletop RCQ events, including the 200-player $uper $unday RCQ at SCG CON in Washington, DC.

I also incorporated the Modern decklists from last weekend's Magic Online Champions Showcase. Congratulations to Brady Munroe and Andreas Eklund for earning their invitations to Magic World Championship 32!

To show which decks are dominating the top tables, I assigned points to each deck based on its rectified number of net wins, calculated as the number of match wins minus losses, with negative values adjusted to zero. I doubled the point totals for the Magic Online Champions Showcase to reflect its high competitive level. By combining these points across all events, each archetype's share of the total rectified net wins blends popularity and performance into a single, comprehensive metric: the winner's metagame share.

In this table, each archetype name hyperlinks to a top-performing decklist that closely reflects its aggregate build. The "Other" category collects decks with less than one percent winner's metagame share, including Samwise Gamgee Combo, Jeskai Chant, Boros Burn, Mono-Black Necro, Grixis Goryo's, Izzet Wizards, Mono-Black Reanimator, Eldrazi Aggro, Mono-Black Eldrazi, Rhinos, Sultai Soultrader, Mono-Red Leyline, Asmo Turns, Hollow One, Jund Cosmogoyf, Dimir Mill, Jeskai Control, Jeskai Blink, Selesnya Ritual, Domain Living End, Sultai Oculus, Simic Neoform, Merfolk, Four-Color Omnath, Grixis Shadow, Hardened Scales, Hammer Time, and more.

The week after the banned and restricted announcement, I wrote an article analyzing the first tournament results and highlighting the impact of the bans and unbans. Despite some promising early attempts, it appears that Violent Outburst and Umezawa's Jitte have failed to gain a major foothold in the format. Over the past two weeks, Violent Outburst appeared in less than four percent of decks, while Umezawa's Jitte had an even more modest representation. Instead, Modern remains defined by its staples.

Consign to Memory
Flooded Strand
Vexing Bauble
Mystical Dispute
Arid Mesa
Thoughtseize
Wrath of the Skies
Urza's Saga
Marsh Flats
Solitude

When reviewing main decks only, the most-played cards in Modern are fetch lands like Flooded Strand and Arid Mesa. These lands enable amazing mana consistency as they can find basic lands, shock lands, or surveil lands. Urza's Saga is another prominent inclusion, letting players overwhelm opponents with Construct tokens while tutoring up key one-mana artifact pieces for combo decks.

When sideboard cards are included, a diverse suite of one-mana answers rises to the top. Consign to Memory, Vexing Bauble, Mystical Dispute, and Thoughtseize are among the most-played ways to disrupt an opponent's game plan. They appear in main decks, sideboards, and sometimes in a mix of both. By the total raw number of copies across all the main decks and sideboards I analyzed, Consign to Memory claims the title of the most-played card in Modern.

To set the stage for the remaining Modern Regional Championship Qualifiers, I've compiled aggregate decklists for the top-tier archetypes. These lists were assembled using an algorithm that weighs card popularity, deck performance, and internal synergies. Let's take a closer look at the fifteen most prominent contenders, each representing at least 2.4% of the winner's metagame over the past month.

1. Boros Energy (11.0% of the Winner's Metagame)

4 Arid Mesa 4 Guide of Souls 4 Ocelot Pride 4 Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer 4 Ajani, Nacatl Pariah 4 Galvanic Discharge 3 Goblin Bombardment 3 Sacred Foundry 3 Marsh Flats 3 Voice of Victory 3 Flooded Strand 3 Seasoned Pyromancer 2 Elegant Parlor 2 Thraben Charm 2 Plains 2 Ranger-Captain of Eos 2 The Legend of Roku 2 Windswept Heath 1 Mountain 1 Arena of Glory 1 Dalkovan Encampment 1 Blood Moon 1 Static Prison 1 Solitude 2 High Noon 2 Vexing Bauble 2 Obsidian Charmaw 2 Wear 2 Wrath of the Skies 1 Celestial Purge 1 Orim's Chant 1 Rest in Peace 1 Blood Moon 1 The Legend of Roku

Powered by Guide of Souls and Galvanic Discharge, Boros Energy leverages the energy mechanic to dominate the battlefield. The deck applies relentless pressure through the feline firepower of Ocelot Pride and Ajani, Nacatl Pariah; while Goblin Bombardment lets you sacrifice Cat tokens to transform Ajani into a formidable planeswalker.

Despite Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury being banned, Boros Energy remains the deck to beat in Modern. The aggressive shell of the deck remains intact, and cards like The Legend of Roku have stepped in as alternative mid-game value engines. Compared to my metagame overview from the week immediately following the bans, Boros Energy has climbed even further in popularity, solidifying its position at the top of the format.

2. Izzet Affinity (8.4% of the Winner's Metagame)

4 Engineered Explosives 4 Kappa Cannoneer 4 Mox Opal 4 Mishra's Bauble 4 Pinnacle Emissary 4 Weapons Manufacturing 4 Tormod's Crypt 4 Urza's Saga 4 Spirebluff Canal 4 Fiery Islet 3 Claws of Gix 3 Metallic Rebuke 2 Island 2 Arcbound Ravager 2 Sink into Stupor 2 Emry, Lurker of the Loch 1 Steam Vents 1 Skateboard 1 Welding Jar 1 Pithing Needle 1 Shadowspear 1 Shivan Reef 3 Consign to Memory 3 Galvanic Blast 2 Whipflare 2 Mystical Dispute 2 Damping Sphere 1 Vexing Bauble 1 Emry, Lurker of the Loch 1 Swan Song

As the name implies, Izzet Affinity thrives on artifact synergies, quickly enabling metalcraft for explosive starts. Mox Opal provides early mana acceleration, Kappa Cannoneer grows into an unstoppable juggernaut, and Pinnacle Emissary lets you flood the board with tokens.

Most lists also feature Weapons Manufacturing, which can rapidly assemble an array of Munitions tokens. Those tokens supercharge Kappa Cannoneer, grow the Constructs from Urza's Saga, and can be translated into lethal damage with an Engineered Explosives for X=0. Arcbound Ravager and Claws of Gix provide alternative ways to sacrifice those tokens and unlock their damage. An arsenal of Munitions tokens can also punish an opposing Wrath of the Skies or Meltdown, which are some of the best sideboard cards against Izzet Affinity.

3. Izzet Prowess (6.7% of the Winner's Metagame)

4 Dragon's Rage Channeler 4 Lightning Bolt 4 Cori-Steel Cutter 4 Mishra's Bauble 4 Lava Dart 4 Preordain 4 Expressive Iteration 4 Monastery Swiftspear 4 Slickshot Show-Off 4 Mutagenic Growth 3 Mountain 3 Steam Vents 3 Bloodstained Mire 2 Fiery Islet 2 Scalding Tarn 2 Violent Urge 2 Wooded Foothills 2 Arid Mesa 1 Thundering Falls 4 Consign to Memory 3 Unholy Heat 2 Meltdown 2 Spell Pierce 2 Tormod's Crypt 1 Murktide Regent 1 Spell Snare

At its core, Izzet Prowess is built for speed. With Dragon's Rage Channeler and Monastery Swiftspear leading the charge, the deck uses Expressive Iteration, Preordain, and other cheap cantrips to churn through spells, sculpt your hand, and buff your creatures.

The two-drops are equally formidable. Dropping a Cori-Steel Cutter on turn two and following it up with a Mishra's Bauble can kickstart a flood of Monk tokens. Meanwhile, Slickshot Show-Off allows for sudden, explosive kills, as it can swing for double-digit damage out of nowhere when combined with Mutagenic Growth and Violent Urge.

4. Grixis Reanimator (5.9% of the Winner's Metagame)

4 Abhorrent Oculus 4 Archon of Cruelty 4 Bloodstained Mire 4 Emperor of Bones 4 Faithless Looting 4 Fatal Push 4 Persist 4 Polluted Delta 4 Psychic Frog 4 Unearth 4 Thoughtseize 4 Thought Scour 2 Swamp 2 Spell Pierce 1 Blood Crypt 1 Island 1 Raucous Theater 1 Scalding Tarn 1 Steam Vents 1 Undercity Sewers 1 Watery Grave 1 Thundering Falls 3 Consign to Memory 3 Mystical Dispute 2 Meltdown 2 Damping Sphere 2 Pyroclasm 2 Vexing Bauble 1 Surgical Extraction

Grixis Reanimator employs Faithless Looting and Psychic Frog to put Archon of Cruelty into the graveyard, then brings it back to life with Persist or Emperor of Bones. Alternatively, the deck can cast Unearth to return Abhorrent Oculus. All of this is wrapped in a midrange shell, utilizing staple interaction spells like Thoughtseize, Fatal Push, and Spell Pierce keeping opponents off balance.

While a mere 18 lands may seem low for a deck without additional modal double-faced cards or mana rocks, it fits the deck because nearly every spell that is intended to be cast costs only one or two mana. Moreover, a suite of one-mana card-draw effects help you make your land drops.

5. Gruul Broodscale (4.8% of the Winner's Metagame)

4 Basking Broodscale 4 Blade of the Bloodchief 4 Eldrazi Temple 4 Glaring Fleshraker 4 Grove of the Burnwillows 4 Kozilek's Command 4 Malevolent Rumble 4 Urza's Saga 3 Ancient Stirrings 3 Vexing Bauble 2 Boseiju, Who Endures 2 Cavern of Souls 2 Emrakul, the Promised End 2 Forest 2 Unholy Heat 2 Walking Ballista 2 Writhing Chrysalis 1 Haywire Mite 1 Stomping Ground 1 Springleaf Drum 1 Commercial District 1 Wooded Foothills 1 Soul-Guide Lantern 1 Windswept Heath 1 Verdant Catacombs 3 Nature's Claim 2 Unholy Heat 2 Pyroclasm 2 Thief of Existence 1 Pithing Needle 1 Vexing Bauble 1 Grafdigger's Cage 1 Writhing Chrysalis 1 Soulless Jailer 1 Emrakul, the Promised End

Gruul Broodscale is built around a compact two-card combo: Blade of the Bloodchief and Basking Broodscale. Sacrificing an Eldrazi Spawn for mana triggers the Blade, which puts a +1/+1 counter on the Broodscale, which in turn creates another Eldrazi Spawn. This loop sustains itself, producing an infinitely large Broodscale and infinite mana. That mana can be sunk into Kozilek's Command, which can find Walking Ballista to close the game on the spot.

While the deck can dig for the combo with Urza's Saga and Ancient Stirrings, it can also win the game in other ways. Eldrazi Temple enables explosive starts by powering out a turn-two Glaring Fleshraker and turn-three Writhing Chrysalis. These can present a fast damage clock or ramp into Emrakul, the Promised End. Meanwhile, a turn-one Vexing Bauble can wreck an Affinity player or shut off a Solitude that could answer to your combo.

There are also similar Mono-Green Broodscale and Eldrazi Broodscale decks seeing play across the metagame. If all of these were grouped together under a single Broodscale Combo macro-archetype, that would rank as the second most played strategy in Modern right now.

6. Esper Goryo's (4.1% of the Winner's Metagame)

4 Goryo's Vengeance 4 Flooded Strand 4 Ephemerate 4 Atraxa, Grand Unifier 4 Psychic Frog 4 Polluted Delta 4 Solitude 4 Marsh Flats 4 Quantum Riddler 3 Faithful Mending 3 Thoughtseize 2 Force of Negation 2 Prismatic Ending 1 Swamp 1 Griselbrand 1 Hallowed Fountain 1 Island 1 Undercity Sewers 1 Shadowy Backstreet 1 Meticulous Archive 1 Watery Grave 1 Plains 1 Godless Shrine 1 March of Otherworldly Light 1 Consign to Memory 1 Breeding Pool 1 Teferi, Time Raveler 3 Mystical Dispute 3 Consign to Memory 2 Wrath of the Skies 2 Pest Control 2 Nihil Spellbomb 1 Teferi, Time Raveler 1 Thoughtseize 1 Surgical Extraction

Esper Goryo's aims to discard Atraxa, Grand Unifier to Psychic Frog or Faithful Mending, then returns her to the battlefield with Goryo's Vengeance. This provides a massive lifelinking swing and a fresh grip of cards. Before Atraxa is exiled by Goryo's Vengeance, Ephemerate can blink her to create a new game object, which means that you won't have to exile Atraxa at end of turn. That play is usually game-ending.

But Esper Goryo's is not just a graveyard combo deck. Between Solitude, Force of Negation, Thoughtseize, and Prismatic Ending, it can also take a control role and play a fair game where Psychic Frog and Quantum Riddler provide steady card advantage. Ephemerate can also blink a warped Quantum Riddler, letting you keep a resilient 4/6 flier on the battlefield. Esper Goryo's effortlessly blends a game-ending combo with a fair control plan.

7. Esper Blink (4.0% of the Winner's Metagame)

4 Quantum Riddler 4 Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd 4 Marsh Flats 4 Flooded Strand 4 Solitude 4 Thoughtseize 4 Overlord of the Balemurk 4 Fatal Push 3 Ephemerate 3 Witch Enchanter 3 Emperor of Bones 2 Godless Shrine 2 Plains 2 Teferi, Time Raveler 2 Flickerwisp 2 Prismatic Ending 1 Meticulous Archive 1 Shadowy Backstreet 1 Watery Grave 1 Hallowed Fountain 1 Polluted Delta 1 Swamp 1 Undercity Sewers 1 Boggart Trawler 1 Island 4 Consign to Memory 3 Wrath of the Skies 2 Mystical Dispute 2 High Noon 2 Damping Sphere 1 Clarion Conqueror 1 White Orchid Phantom

Like Esper Goryo's, Esper Blink capitalizes on the potent synergy between Quantum Riddler and Ephemerate. With a flexible, interactive game plan, the deck adapts well to a wide range of matchups. But rather than relying on Goryo's Vengeance, it maximizes blink synergies through Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd and Flickerwisp.

The deck unlocks a variety of additional value lines by blinking its own permanents. In particular, blinking Overlord of the Balemurk removes its time counters entirely, turning it into an undercosted threat that generates repeatable card advantage. Furthermore, Flickerwisp can blink Witch-Blessed Meadow, the back face of Witch Enchanter, allowing it to return face up as a creature without ever having to pay its mana cost.

8. Eldrazi Tron (3.7% of the Winner's Metagame)

4 Devourer of Destiny 4 Eldrazi Temple 4 Expedition Map 4 Kozilek's Command 4 Ugin's Labyrinth 4 Ugin, Eye of the Storms 4 Urza's Mine 4 Urza's Power Plant 4 Urza's Tower 4 Karn, the Great Creator 4 Mind Stone 3 Thought-Knot Seer 3 Glaring Fleshraker 2 Dismember 2 Chalice of the Void 1 Swamp 1 Vexing Bauble 1 Sire of Seven Deaths 1 Warping Wail 1 All Is Dust 1 Wastes 2 Disruptor Flute 2 Torpor Orb 1 Trinisphere 1 Liquimetal Coating 1 Ensnaring Bridge 1 Tormod's Crypt 1 Cityscape Leveler 1 The Stone Brain 1 Extinguisher Battleship 1 Walking Ballista 1 Chalice of the Void 1 Grafdigger's Cage 1 The Filigree Sylex

Eldrazi Tron harnesses the iconic trio of Urza's Mine, Urza's Tower, and Urza's Power Plant to enable explosive openings. Together, they can power out seven-mana spells like Devourer of Destiny or Ugin, Eye of the Storms as early as turn three. Ugin excels in a deck that's almost all colorless spells. Karn, the Great Creator is another excellent mana sink, letting you fetch disruptive artifacts from your sideboard.

The deck remains formidable even if you fail to draw the full suite of Urza's lands. Eldrazi Temple and Ugin's Labyrinth offer enough two-mana lands to consistently enable a turn-two Thought-Knot Seer for disruption or an early Glaring Fleshraker to set up a devastating Kozilek's Command. Few decks in Modern can match the deck's ability to generate mana, though many opponents will board in Obsidian Charmaw to fight back.

9. Boros Land Destruction (3.5% of the Winner's Metagame)

5 Plains 4 Cori Mountain Monastery 4 Demolition Field 4 Field of Ruin 4 Solitude 4 Cleansing Wildfire 4 Erode 4 Galvanic Discharge 4 Path to Exile 4 Price of Freedom 4 Wrath of the Skies 3 Sacred Foundry 3 Sunken Citadel 3 Mana Tithe 2 The Legend of Roku 2 March of Otherworldly Light 1 Mountain 1 Sunbillow Verge 4 High Noon 3 Rest in Peace 3 Wear 2 Orim's Chant 1 Kaheera, the Orphanguard 1 Celestial Purge 1 Beza, the Bounding Spring

Boros Land Destruction exploits the most-played new card from Secrets of Strixhaven: Erode. Most decks in Modern run only two or three basic lands, so by overwhelming opponents with effects that force them to search for basics, the deck can rapidly exhaust those resources.

Before long, Erode and Path to Exile transform into one-mana removal spells with virtually no drawback. Cleansing Wildfire, Price of Freedom, Demolition Field, and Field of Ruin effectively become hard land-destruction effects. In essence, this is a grinding resource-denial deck that does not aim to win the game quickly but instead seeks to prevent the opponent from making progress.

10. Eldrazi Ramp (3.3% of the Winner's Metagame)

5 Forest 4 Eldrazi Temple 4 Emrakul, the Promised End 4 Kozilek's Command 4 Malevolent Rumble 4 Sowing Mycospawn 4 Ugin's Labyrinth 4 Devourer of Destiny 4 Utopia Sprawl 4 Talisman of Impulse 2 Ugin, Eye of the Storms 2 Kozilek's Return 2 Icetill Explorer 2 Fanatic of Rhonas 1 Ghost Quarter 1 Wooded Foothills 1 Stomping Ground 1 Bojuka Bog 1 Commercial District 1 Sire of Seven Deaths 1 Windswept Heath 1 Shifting Woodland 1 World Breaker 1 Cavern of Souls 1 Dryad Arbor 4 Thought-Knot Seer 3 Trinisphere 3 Endurance 2 Fade from History 1 Collector Ouphe 1 Vexing Bauble 1 Chomping Changeling

Like Eldrazi Tron, Eldrazi Ramp is fueled by Eldrazi Temple and Ugin's Labyrinth, but it forgoes the Urza's lands in favor of a Forest-heavy mana base for Utopia Sprawl. Its goal is to cast Emrakul, the Promised End as soon as possible. Malevolent Rumble helps reduce Emrakul's cost by dumping a variety of card types into the graveyard.

While the aggregate list reflects the most typical configuration, there is a particularly intriguing variation featuring Slumbering Trudge, Fight Rigging, and Fanatic of Rhonas. The one-mana 6/6 turns Fanatic of Rhonas into an exceptional ramp creature while simultaneously supercharging Fight Rigging. The dream draw accelerates into the enchantment on turn two off of Ugin's Labyrinth and finds Emrakul, the Promised End in the top five cards of your library. From there, you move to combat, put a +1/+1 counter on Slumbering Trudge, and immediately cast Emrakul for free. Although most Eldrazi Ramp decks avoid these cards, it nevertheless remains an exciting deck-building possibility.

11. Azorius Control (3.2% of the Winner's Metagame)

4 Counterspell 4 Flooded Strand 4 Consult the Star Charts 4 Orim's Chant 4 Teferi, Time Raveler 4 Prismatic Ending 4 Solitude 2 Hallowed Fountain 2 Isochron Scepter 2 Island 2 Teferi, Hero of Dominaria 2 Meticulous Archive 2 Wrath of the Skies 2 Plains 2 Supreme Verdict 2 Arid Mesa 2 Spell Snare 2 Floodfarm Verge 1 Mystic Gate 1 Hall of Storm Giants 1 Scalding Tarn 1 Otawara, Soaring City 1 Misty Rainforest 1 Thundering Falls 1 Monumental Henge 1 Stock Up 1 Tune the Narrative 1 Polluted Delta 4 Consign to Memory 3 Mystical Dispute 2 Wrath of the Skies 2 High Noon 1 Surgical Extraction 1 Kaheera, the Orphanguard 1 Rest in Peace 1 Vexing Bauble

Azorius Control seeks to dictate the pace of the game through efficient interaction. The deck runs almost no creatures, which renders opposing creature removal largely useless while simultaneously unlocking Kaheera, the Orphanguard as a companion. At the heart of the archetype are control staples like Prismatic Ending, Supreme Verdict, and Counterspell, supported by an excellent lineup of planeswalkers.

The deck can also imprint Orim's Chant onto Isochron Scepter to lock the opponent out of the game entirely. Victory will come slowly but methodically. Even without the Scepter, a lone Orim's Chant can buy crucial time or shut down combo turns.

12. Ruby Storm (3.2% of the Winner's Metagame)

4 Ral, Monsoon Mage 4 Desperate Ritual 4 Manamorphose 4 Pyretic Ritual 4 Reckless Impulse 4 Wrenn's Resolve 4 Ruby Medallion 4 Mountain 3 Past in Flames 3 Arid Mesa 2 Wish 2 Bloodstained Mire 2 Valakut Awakening 2 Wooded Foothills 2 Artist's Talent 2 Glimpse the Impossible 2 Scalding Tarn 2 Strike It Rich 1 Elegant Parlor 1 Sacred Foundry 1 Gemstone Caverns 1 Grapeshot 1 Sunbaked Canyon 1 Commercial District 4 Prismatic Ending 4 Orim's Chant 2 Wear 2 Brotherhood's End 1 Past in Flames 1 Grapeshot 1 Empty the Warrens

Ruby Storm is a blisteringly fast combo deck centered on Ruby Medallion and Ral, Monsoon Mage. With either card on the battlefield, spells like Pyretic Ritual and Desperate Ritual cost just a single red mana, unlocking a massive mana boost. The cost reduction also applies to card-draw spells like Reckless Impulse and Wrenn's Resolve, allowing you to churn through your library with startling speed.

The core game plan is to cast a storm of spells in a single turn, flash them back with Past in Flames, then finish the game with a lethal Grapeshot. It's a combo deck in its purest, most tempestuous form. If opponents lack removal for Ruby Medallion or Ral, or they aren't prepared with hate pieces like Orim's Chant, High Noon, or Damping Sphere, Ruby Storm can unleash a blazing firestorm of damage.

13. Amulet Titan (3.0% of the Winner's Metagame)

4 Amulet of Vigor 4 Arboreal Grazer 4 Crumbling Vestige 4 Gruul Turf 4 Spelunking 4 Urza's Saga 3 Forest 3 Green Sun's Zenith 3 Primeval Titan 3 Simic Growth Chamber 3 Scapeshift 3 Malevolent Rumble 2 Boseiju, Who Endures 2 Summoner's Pact 2 The Mycosynth Gardens 1 Hanweir Battlements 1 Mirrorpool 1 Tolaria West 1 Cultivator Colossus 1 Echoing Deeps 1 Urza's Cave 1 Shifting Woodland 1 Aftermath Analyst 1 Zuran Orb 1 Otawara, Soaring City 1 Vesuva 1 Dryad Arbor 2 Vexing Bauble 2 Dismember 2 Force of Vigor 1 Six 1 Bojuka Bog 1 Boseiju, Who Endures 1 Collector Ouphe 1 Elvish Reclaimer 1 Soul-Guide Lantern 1 Tireless Tracker 1 Icetill Explorer 1 Vampires' Vengeance

Amulet Titan is one of Modern's most intricate ramp decks. It's built around the explosive synergy between Amulet of Vigor and bounce lands like Gruul Turf. With an Amulet of Vigor in play, those lands effectively enter untapped and generate additional mana, enabling early Primeval Titans. Even when Amulet of Vigor doesn't show up, Spelunking and Urza's Saga serve as redundant copies. Once Primeval Titan hits the battlefield, it can fetch Hanweir Battlements to give itself haste and shift the game in your favor. Mastering the deck requires a deep knowledge of its available lines of play, making it a high-skill, high-reward archetype.

The deck also features an elaborate Scapeshift combo as an alternate win condition. Until recently, this involved Lotus Field, but after that card was banned, the deck now requires a sacrifice outlet like Zuran Orb and a fifth land in play. Scapeshift then gets four bounce lands alongside Tolaria West, which you can transmute for Summoner's Pact to find Aftermath Analyst.

From there, the Analyst returns a bunch of lands alongside Tolaria West, which can grab another Summoner's Pact for Primeval Titan. The Titan then finds Shifting Woodland, which can become a copy of Aftermath Analyst, which you can loop while sacrificing lands to generate infinite mana. Eventually, the deck's infinite Mirrorpool and Hanweir Battlements activations can produce a horde of hasty creatures. The combo may be complex, but it can still win the game on the spot.

14. Golgari Yawgmoth (2.5% of the Winner's Metagame)

4 Yawgmoth, Thran Physician 4 Agatha's Soul Cauldron 4 Badgermole Cub 4 Delighted Halfling 4 Verdant Catacombs 4 Young Wolf 4 Windswept Heath 3 Spymaster's Vault 3 Green Sun's Zenith 3 Walking Ballista 3 Malevolent Rumble 2 Forest 2 Underground Mortuary 2 Overgrown Tomb 2 Boseiju, Who Endures 2 Chord of Calling 1 Swamp 1 Grist, the Hunger Tide 1 Endurance 1 Dryad Arbor 1 Dredger's Insight 1 Formidable Speaker 1 Strangleroot Geist 1 Orcish Bowmasters 1 Ouroboroid 1 Virulent Emissary 3 Thoughtseize 3 Fatal Push 2 Vexing Bauble 2 Force of Vigor 1 Endurance 1 Fulminator Mage 1 Outland Liberator 1 Culling Ritual 1 Soulless Jailer

Golgari Yawgmoth is built around undying creatures and Yawgmoth, Thran Physician; using his ability to generate card advantage and facilitate infinite combos. One such loop involves Yawgmoth, Thran Physician and two copies of Young Wolf. You need one Young Wolf with a +1/+1 counter on it and another without one. When Yawgmoth sacrifices the counterless Young Wolf, it returns with a +1/+1 counter. Meanwhile, the other Young Wolf receives a -1/-1 counter, which cancels out its +1/+1 counter. This cycle can be repeated to draw many cards. While each Yawgmoth activation costs one life, Dredger's Insight or Virulent Emissary cancels out the life loss and lets you loop as much as you like. Afterward, an overly complicated sequence involving Endurance, Chord of Calling, and Orcish Bowmasters can seal the game.

Another powerful combo involves Agatha's Soul Cauldron and Walking Ballista. By exiling the Ballista, the Cauldron can grant its ability to a Young Wolf. By pinging itself, the Wolf dies and returns via undying, letting you ping as often as you like. This converts into infinite life through Dredger's Insight or Virulent Emissary. Exiling Grist, the Hunger Tide with Agatha's Soul Cauldron is also quite potent, as it grants Grist's loyalty abilities to all creatures with +1/+1 counters. All in all, Golgari Yawgmoth is capable of a wide range of mind-boggling combo lines.

15. Azorius Blink (2.4% of the Winner's Metagame)

4 Ephemerate 4 Guide of Souls 4 Ocelot Pride 4 Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd 4 Quantum Riddler 4 Solitude 4 Starfield Shepherd 4 Flooded Strand 3 Hallowed Fountain 3 Plains 3 Arid Mesa 3 Windswept Heath 3 Witch Enchanter 2 Meticulous Archive 2 Marsh Flats 2 March of Otherworldly Light 2 Consign to Memory 2 Teferi, Time Raveler 2 Springleaf Drum 1 Mockingbird 3 Mystical Dispute 3 Wrath of the Skies 3 White Orchid Phantom 2 Consign to Memory 2 Teferi, Time Raveler 1 Haywire Mite 1 Clarion Conqueror

Azorius Blink shares many cards with Esper Blink but takes a more aggressive route. Instead of black disruption spells like Thoughtseize or Fatal Push, this version applies early pressure with Guide of Souls and Ocelot Pride. These two one-drops mesh beautifully: Guide of Souls's life gain fuels Ocelot Pride's token, which in turn generates more energy for Guide of Souls. Starfield Shepherd ties it all together, helping to assemble this synergy more consistently.

Azorius Blink can also use Consign to Memory proactively in the main deck. On the surface, it's a clean answer to colorless threats with cast triggers, like Devourer of Destiny. But it also lets you keep a warped Quantum Riddler or an evoked Solitude by countering the triggers that would remove them. Consign to Memory can even counter the delayed "return to the battlefield" trigger from Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd; effectively turning it into a one-mana removal spell.

What's Next for Modern?

The current Modern metagame is broad and varied, sustained by a remarkable array of competitively viable decks. No one deck is dominant. Instead, dozens of archetypes can post strong finishes, and success often hinges on piloting skill and familiarity. That diversity is part of Modern's enduring appeal, as nearly any deck can succeed in the hands of a skilled pilot.

Regional Championship Qualifiers are open to everyone, and the current round of Modern RCQs runs through August 2. While supplies last, RCQ participants during this round will receive an Ancient Stirrings promo card, and Top Finishers will also receive a Sowing Mycospawn promo card. You can find an event near you by checking with your local game store or visiting your regional organizer's website.

These RCQs feed into Modern Regional Championships held in September and October 2026, which in turn qualify players for the first Pro Tour of 2027. Before that, however, Modern will take center stage at Pro Tour Magic: The Gathering® | Marvel Super Heroes at MagicCon: Amsterdam on July 17–19, 2026. Exciting times are ahead for the Modern format. Grab your deck, learn it inside and out, and maybe we'll see you on the big stage next!