A total of 362 Modern decklists were submitted for Pro Tour Magic: The Gathering® | Marvel Super Heroes, but some stand out more than others. The spiciest ones push the boundaries with innovative card combinations, fresh twists on established archetypes, or strategies no one anticipated. In this article, we'll explore eight of the most intriguing Modern decks from Pro Tour Magic: The Gathering | Marvel Super Heroes that caught my attention.

Jund Cosmogoyf

4 Gemstone Caverns 1 Swamp 4 Cosmogoyf 1 Aloe Alchemist 4 Inquisition of Kozilek 4 Thud 1 Blightstep Pathway 4 Serum Powder 2 Chancellor of the Dross 4 Blackcleave Cliffs 4 Plunge into Darkness 4 Blooming Marsh 2 Cavern of Souls 4 Devourer of Destiny 1 Darkbore Pathway 4 Spoils of the Vault 4 Gemstone Mine 1 Boseiju, Who Endures 2 Copperline Gorge 2 Summoner's Pact 3 Pact of Negation 1 Forest 1 Not of This World 4 Scion of Draco 2 Duress 4 Leyline of the Guildpact 1 Cavern of Souls 2 Natural State

Three players—Yuya Hosokawa, Marco Orellana, and Tooru Horie—brought one of the Pro Tour's most unexpected archetypes: Jund Cosmogoyf, a deck that is capable of consistently threatening a turn-three kill.

Cosmogoyf
Thud
Serum Powder

The deck's primary game plan is to exile 20 cards as quickly as possible, sometimes before the game has even properly begun thanks to Serum Powder and Devourer of Destiny. Spoils of the Vault and Plunge into Darkness can also exile huge portions of your library while digging for the key combo pieces. Although Spoils of the Vault occasionally carries the risk of losing you the game on the spot, those mishaps are relatively rare.

Once a Cosmogoyf with 20 or more power hits the battlefield, Thud lets you sacrifice it to deal lethal damage directly to your opponent. This leaves no window for them to block or remove the creature. Tooru Horie, who qualified by finishing in 2nd place at the Regional Championship for Japan and Korea, brought a list that includes a spicy Leyline of the Guildpact and Scion of Draco package in the sideboard. It's a strong combination on its own, and giving Cosmogoyf hexproof and trample effectively turns it into an unstoppable threat.

Samwise Gamgee Combo

4 Ajani, Nacatl Pariah 1 Lush Portico 1 Yawgmoth, Thran Physician 4 Windswept Heath 1 Forest 1 Dryad Arbor 1 Misty Rainforest 2 City of Brass 1 Viscera Seer 1 Temple Garden 1 Stomping Ground 2 Overgrown Tomb 1 Sylvan Safekeeper 4 Birthing Ritual 1 Dewdrop Cure 3 Goblin Bombardment 4 Verdant Catacombs 4 Cauldron Familiar 3 Young Wolf 2 Carrion Feeder 1 Haywire Mite 4 Gilded Goose 2 Boseiju, Who Endures 4 Chord of Calling 1 Godless Shrine 4 Samwise Gamgee 1 Endurance 1 Wooded Foothills 1 Lavinia, Azorius Renegade 1 Fatal Push 1 High Noon 1 Surgical Extraction 1 Witherbloom Charm 1 Vexing Bauble 1 Gaddock Teeg 1 Crystal Barricade 1 Suncleanser 1 Masked Vandal 1 Drannith Magistrate 2 Force of Vigor 2 Thoughtseize

Jake Bailey, who qualified by finishing in 3rd place at a United States Regional Championship, was the only player to register Samwise Gamgee Combo, and his build contains several spicy twists on this strategy.

Samwise Gamgee
Cauldron Familiar
Goblin Bombardment

The deck's main plan is to combine Samwise Gamgee, Cauldron Familiar, and a sacrifice outlet. Together, these cards create an infinite drain loop. Sacrifice a Food token to return Cauldron Familiar from your graveyard to the battlefield, drain your opponent, create a Food token from Samwise Gamgee, and sacrifice Cauldron Familiar. Then, repeat the process.

Traditional sacrifice outlets such as Viscera Seer and Carrion Feeder are still present, but Bailey's biggest innovation is the inclusion of Goblin Bombardment. Although splashing red places additional demands on the deck's mana base, Modern's fetch lands fulfill those demands remarkably easily, especially with support from Gilded Goose and City of Brass. Goblin Bombardment is already a proven Modern card alongside Ajani, Nacatl Pariah, which also appears in Bailey's list. With an abundance of sacrifice outlets, transforming Ajani into a planeswalker is rarely a problem. This Samwise Gamgee Combo build embraces sacrifice synergies and pushes them to their maximum potential.

Azorius Loki

1 Flooded Strand 1 Otawara, Soaring City 1 Agatha's Soul Cauldron 1 Grinding Station 4 Oswald Fiddlebender 1 Misty Rainforest 4 Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student 2 Hallowed Fountain 4 Seachrome Coast 1 Scalding Tarn 1 Island 4 Mox Amber 1 Pithing Needle 1 Polluted Delta 1 Skateboard 4 Mox Opal 1 Aether Spellbomb 4 Emry, Lurker of the Loch 4 Mishra's Bauble 1 Meticulous Archive 1 Sewer-veillance Cam 1 Minamo, School at Water's Edge 3 Loki, God of Mischief 4 Metallic Rebuke 1 Relic of Progenitus 4 Portable Hole 4 Urza's Saga 1 Damping Sphere 1 Disruptor Flute 1 Vexing Bauble 1 Mystical Dispute 2 Force of Negation 4 Consign to Memory 1 Shadowspear 1 Tormod's Crypt 1 Haywire Mite 1 Quantum Riddler 1 Dusk Rose Reliquary

Gaëtan Bossy, who qualified through the Magic Spotlight Series, was the only player in the tournament to register Loki, God of Mischief; Oswald Fiddlebender; Grinding Station; and Sewer-veillance Cam. While those cards may look like a random collection at first glance, they come together to form an amazing package.

Loki, God of Mischief
Oswald Fiddlebender
Grinding Station

Oswald Fiddlebender acts as the deck's toolbox, assembling the pieces for an infinite four-step combo that unfolds as follows:

1. Tap Mox Amber or Mox Opal for blue mana, then sacrifice the Mox to Grinding Station to mill your opponent.
2. Activate Emry, Lurker of the Loch and use the blue mana to cast Sewer-veillance Cam from your graveyard. When it enters, it untaps Emry and Grinding Station.
3. Activate Emry again to recast the Mox from your graveyard. When it enters, Grinding Station's untap trigger goes on the stack. In response, activate Grinding Station to sacrifice Sewer-veillance Cam, untapping Emry.
4. Repeat to infinitely mill your opponent.

The deck's main addition from Magic: The Gathering | Marvel Super Heroes is Loki, God of Mischief. Not only does the legendary God enable Mox Amber, but it also serves as a formidable card-advantage engine. With Loki on the battlefield, you draw an extra card off every Mishra's Bauble or Portable Hole. Grinding Station; Relic of Progenitus; Skateboard; Agatha's Soul Cauldron; and Minamo, School at Water's Edge provide repeatable targeted abilities that keep the cards flowing turn after turn. Loki may have been the missing piece that will elevate this strategy and make it a legitimate contender, and I couldn't resist naming the deck after the God of Mischief himself.

Bant Control

1 Lush Portico 4 Planar Genesis 1 Erode 4 Flooded Strand 1 Counterspell 4 Windswept Heath 2 Misty Rainforest 1 Hedge Maze 4 Consult the Star Charts 1 Temple Garden 1 Hallowed Fountain 2 Divergent Equation 4 Orim's Chant 1 Breeding Pool 3 Teferi, Time Raveler 2 Island 2 Spell Snare 1 March of Otherworldly Light 4 Wilderness Reclamation 1 Meticulous Archive 3 Prismatic Ending 1 Solitude 4 Wrath of the Skies 2 Plains 4 Waterlogged Teachings 1 Endurance 1 Sphinx's Revelation 1 Kaheera, the Orphanguard 1 Teferi, Time Raveler 4 Mystical Dispute 4 Consign to Memory 2 Celestial Purge 1 Teferi, Hero of Dominaria 1 Silence 1 Spell Snare

Rui Zhang, fresh off a Top 8 finish at Pro Tour Secrets of Strixhaven, has earned a reputation for bringing delightfully unconventional decks, and they certainly didn't disappoint in Amsterdam. Zhang was the only player in the tournament to register Divergent Equation, Sphinx's Revelation, and Wilderness Reclamation.

Wilderness Reclamation
Consult the Star Charts
Wrath of the Skies

At its core, this is a control deck packed with sweepers like Wrath of the Skies, countermagic like Spell Snare, and cards like Teferi, Time Raveler that dictate the pace of the game. While most control players gravitated toward Azorius or Jeskai, Zhang boldly ventured into green, unlocking Wilderness Reclamation as a powerful mana engine. Thanks to Planar Genesis, Reclamation can even hit the battlefield as early as turn three.

Wilderness Reclamation effectively doubles your mana, provided you have enough instants to spend it on, and this deck is built to capitalize on exactly that. Consult the Star Charts keeps your hand stocked with interaction, while Waterlogged Teachings can tutor up Sphinx's Revelation or Divergent Equation to secure you control of the game. During your end step, you can float mana, untap all your lands with Wilderness Reclamation, float even more mana, and funnel it all into an enormous X-cost spell that yields overwhelming card advantage. From there, a humble Elemental like Solitude can eventually cross the finish line and deliver you victory while Orim's Chant keeps your opponent safely contained.

Devoted Druid Combo

2 Agatha's Soul Cauldron 4 Badgermole Cub 4 Tyvar, Jubilant Brawler 2 Boseiju, Who Endures 4 Delighted Halfling 1 Temple Garden 1 Overgrown Tomb 1 Duskwatch Recruiter 1 Wooded Foothills 4 Green Sun's Zenith 1 Godless Shrine 3 Forest 1 Lush Portico 3 Malevolent Rumble 4 Nature's Rhythm 1 Craterhoof Behemoth 1 Rhonas the Indomitable 2 Shifting Woodland 1 Sylvan Safekeeper 1 Dryad Arbor 4 Devoted Druid 4 Verdant Catacombs 3 Vizier of Remedies 1 Walking Ballista 4 Windswept Heath 2 Birds of Paradise 1 Collector Ouphe 2 Deafening Silence 2 Endurance 1 Pithing Needle 2 Force of Vigor 1 Keen-Eyed Curator 1 Kraul Harpooner 1 Guerrilla Gorilla 1 Suncleanser 1 Mark of Asylum 1 Vexing Bauble 1 Grist, the Hunger Tide

Thomas Feller, who qualified through the Regional Championship for Europe, Middle East, and Africa, was the only player in the tournament to register Devoted Druid; Vizier of Remedies; Tyvar, Jubilant Brawler; Nature's Rhythm; Birds of Paradise; and various spicy one-of cards.

Devoted Druid
Vizier of Remedies
Tyvar, Jubilant Brawler

Devoted Druid has enabled countless combos throughout Magic's history, but combining it with Vizier of Remedies has always been the most popular and mana-efficient option. Vizier of Remedies allows you to untap Devoted Druid without placing -1/-1 counters on it, providing infinite green mana. Using this mana, you can win by activating Walking Ballista, Duskwatch Recruiter, or Rhonas the Indomitable an infinite number of times.

The static ability of Tyvar, Jubilant Brawler allows Devoted Druid to tap for mana immediately, meaning you can assemble your combo from seemingly nowhere. Meanwhile, Tyvar's second loyalty ability helps find or return key creatures, improving the deck's consistency alongside Green Sun's Zenith and Nature's Rhythm. And if the combo plan doesn't come together, the deck still has a powerful backup plan. Over the past year, Standard has shown us that Badgermole Cub paired with mana creatures can be a formidable strategy, especially when all that extra mana can be converted into a game-ending Craterhoof Behemoth through Nature's Rhythm.

Song of Creation

1 Wrenn and Six 1 Otawara, Soaring City 1 Forest 3 Scalding Tarn 4 Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student 4 Misty Rainforest 1 Hedge Maze 1 Stomping Ground 1 Breeding Pool 3 Repeal 4 Mox Amber 2 Island 2 Bruce Banner 2 Shifting Woodland 3 Engineered Explosives 4 Mox Opal 2 Six 4 Song of Creation 3 Emry, Lurker of the Loch 4 Mishra's Bauble 4 Malevolent Rumble 1 Tormod's Crypt 2 Steam Vents 1 Urza's Saga 1 Jace, Wielder of Mysteries 1 Endurance 2 Flame of Anor 1 Wrenn and Six 1 Blood Moon 1 Lightning Bolt 1 Force of Negation 1 Strix Serenade 2 Narset, Parter of Veils 1 Tormod's Crypt 1 Haywire Mite 1 Urza's Saga 1 Swan Song 2 Unholy Heat

Rasmus Enegren, the reigning Regional Champion for Europe, Middle East, and Africa, broke from the norm with a wild Song of Creation combo deck.

Song of Creation
Mox Amber

Bruce Banner

The goal of this deck is to resolve Song of Creation and play a flurry of zero-cost spells, drawing two cards every time you cast a spell. If you return Mox Opal or Mox Amber to your hand with Repeal, that effectively becomes a zero-mana spell. And if Malevolent Rumble finds a Mox, then it is mana neutral as well. With nearly half the deck effectively costing zero mana, Moxen tapping for additional mana, and Six letting you recast Moxen from your graveyard, it's possible to draw your entire deck; cast Jace, Wielder of Mysteries; and win the game in an explosive combo turn.

A surprising and brand-new addition to the deck is Bruce Banner. The deck needs legendary creatures to consistently enable Mox Amber, but most of the previously available one-mana options were underwhelming. Bruce Banner at least does something, threatening to draw cards over time against slower control strategies. And in a grindy game where the opponent managed to discard or counter Song of Creation, you can cast it as The Incredible Hulk and surprise everyone by rumbling in with an 8/8 trampler. I hope to see that happen during the Pro Tour!

Mono-Blue Metalcraft

1 Flooded Strand 1 Otawara, Soaring City 1 Hedge Maze 4 Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student 1 Scalding Tarn 1 Breeding Pool 4 Island 3 Force of Negation 4 Mox Amber 1 Pithing Needle 2 Engineered Explosives 1 Polluted Delta 1 Skateboard 4 Mox Opal 1 Aether Spellbomb 4 Emry, Lurker of the Loch 4 Mishra's Bauble 1 Minamo, School at Water's Edge 4 Subtlety 1 Essence Flux 2 Tormod's Crypt 1 Haywire Mite 4 Sink into Stupor 1 Harbinger of the Seas 4 Urza's Saga 4 Quantum Riddler 1 Nature's Claim 1 Gemstone Caverns 1 Essence Flux 3 Mystical Dispute 1 Force of Negation 4 Consign to Memory 1 Dismember 2 Hurkyl's Recall 1 Harbinger of the Seas

Hall of Fame member Gabriel Nassif presented a fresh take on blue artifact strategies. In early 2025, Underworld Breach decks dominated Modern, using Mox Opal, Mox Amber, Mishra's Bauble, and Urza's Saga as a powerful artifact package. Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student and Emry, Lurker of the Loch acted as enablers for Mox Amber. After Underworld Breach was banned, this core package persisted, typically as an Izzet Metalcraft deck. Nassif, however, charted a different path.

Quantum Riddler
Subtlety

Force of Negation

Instead of splashing red for Unholy Heat or Cori-Steel Cutter, Nassif stayed mono-blue to incorporate Subtlety and Force of Negation, giving him a powerful suite of free counters. With Quantum Riddler serving as a powerful card-draw engine to replenish your hand (not to mention the support from a one-of Essence Flux), you should have plenty of blue cards to pitch.

Ultimately, Nassif's deck combines some of the strongest mana acceleration, artifact synergies, and card-advantage engines in Modern with efficient interaction. In Nassif's build, Emry can recur cards like Engineered Explosives and Tormod's Crypt to disrupt your opponent even further, letting this Hall of Famer superstar settle in for slow, controlling games as needed.

Hollow One

1 Swamp 1 Thoughtseize 4 Lightning Bolt 1 Arid Mesa 2 Fatal Push 1 Arena of Glory 1 Scalding Tarn 4 Street Wraith 4 Orcish Bowmasters 1 Mountain 4 Burning Inquiry 4 Hollow One 1 Polluted Delta 4 Moonshadow 4 Faithless Looting 4 Marauding Mako 1 Raucous Theater 4 Nethergoyf 4 Detective's Phoenix 1 Mount Doom 1 Marsh Flats 4 Blood Crypt 4 Bloodstained Mire 1 Surgical Extraction 1 Nihil Spellbomb 2 Blood Moon 1 Rough // Tumble 4 Magebane Lizard 3 Meltdown 1 Pyroclasm 2 Thoughtseize

The final spicy decklist I'd like to highlight is Hollow One, which only two competitors brought to the event: Adria Martin and Nick Talbot. Above, you can find Nick Talbot's list. Talbot has enjoyed an excellent Pro Tour season so far, with a 10-6 record at Pro Tour Lorwyn Eclipsed and an 11-5 finish at Pro Tour Secrets of Strixhaven. Could this be the event where he goes one step further, all while wielding an off-meta deck?

Hollow One

Burning Inquiry
Moonshadow

If you have Faithless Looting and Street Wraith in your opening hand, or just a fortunate Burning Inquiry, the deck can deploy multiple copies of Hollow One on turn one, applying immense pressure. By turn two, a bestowed Detective's Phoenix can join the fray, allowing you to attack in the air with a formidable 6/6 flying Golem.

The archetype has also gained new tools over the past year, most notably Moonshadow, which grows alongside the deck's many discard effects. It complements Marauding Mako as another aggressive, highly synergistic one-drop that helps the deck overwhelm opponents before they can stabilize. Once the opponent has been reduced to a single-digit life total, direct damage from Lightning Bolt, Orcish Bowmasters, and even Mount Doom—making this the only deck at the Pro Tour to register a copy of the legendary land—can finish the job. Hollow One has always embraced chaos, and while the random discards remain risky, its best aggressive starts remain undeniably powerful.

Bringing the Spice to Modern

If you're on the lookout for an exciting new Modern deck to experiment with, any of these eight innovative options could be the perfect choice. They might just hold the key to victory at Pro Tour Magic: The Gathering | Marvel Super Heroes. Should they perform well, you can watch them in action during this weekend's livestream!