Per the usual three month ritual, midnight struck, and infinite clicks of F5 could be heard all over cyberspace on the mothership to find out the immediate future of their favorite format. This time, it was a simple one. 2 bans, 1 format. Nothing else besides Modern saw a change to their respective Banned/Restricted lists. [card]Wild Nacatl[/card] and [card]Punishing Fire[/card] took their exits out of the format to up the banned list to a total of 29 cards. Here is the official announcement, set to come into effect starting in the new year.
So what does that mean until the next time that the format is re-evaluated?
To start, I think that Wizards of the Coast cares a lot about Modern as a format. It looks like it’s going to be one of the formats that they want to focus heavily on for the upcoming PTQ Season, and they’re (going to be) investing a lot in this format to make it work. Taking out the linchpins to two rather oppressive archetypes/shells was Step 1 into ensuring that PTQ attendance, no matter in what venues they’re going to be held in (that’s another topic), don’t dwindle and kill this format less than a year in.
Wild Nacatl
Probably receiving the most chatter publicly, the public crowd wondered whether a creature would receive the banhammer after Zoo’s showing at Worlds. [card]Wild Nacatl[/card] is oppressive to design; if you are looking to play an aggressive strategy in Modern, not having it in your deck was always a suspect choice. When [card]Wild Nacatl[/card] was first introduced to Legacy Zoo, it completed and strengthened the trifecta of its central strategy: efficient creatures, tempo, and reach. [card]Wild Nacatl[/card] fulfills both the efficient creature aspect of Zoo, as well as tempo; how much faster and cheaper can you put a 3/3 out onto the battlefield? It also had its effect amplified by quickly outperforming its 2/3 counterpart(s) in [card]Kird Ape[/card] (and later [card]Loan Lion[/card]), and be gaining Exalted bonuses from [card]Qasali Pridemage[/card].
The good? Removing [card]Wild Nacatl[/card] from the equation allows for opposing decks a wider window of opportunity to stabilize. Although it will likely be replaced by [card]Kird Ape[/card] or [card]Loam Lion[/card], three damage is a lot different from two. I can see the benefactors of this being some of the control decks that are emerging. Tribal decks should also see a boost, as it no longer requires a Lord and a creature just to maintain P/T parity with an opposing one drop.
The bad? As stated, [card]Kird Ape[/card] and [card]Loam Lion[/card] still exist, with the possibility of [card]Steppe Lynx[/card] being safe to play after [card]Punishing Fire[/card] also saw the axe. It means that although the most consistent 1-drop was taken away from Zoo, the remaining ones are still good at doing their best impression. With the 12-fetchland configuration from Worlds, [card]Steppe Lynx[/card] has the potential of fulfilling the consistent/dangerous 1-drop role. Wizards should still be monitoring tournament results in the upcoming months for Zoo as an archetype, especially because [card]Snapcaster Mage[/card] and [card]Tribal Flames[/card] is still a reliable strategy in some Zoo shells.
Punishing Fire
The only reason that I thought [card]Wild Nacatl[/card] received the most publicity after Worlds is because everyone in the room already knew that some part of the [card]Grove of the Burnwillows[/card] + [card]Punishing Fire[/card] combo would take a hit. Having a reusable removal spell oppressed the format such that anything with a toughness of 2 or less couldn’t be reliably played. In the late game, with multiple [card]Groves of the Burnwillows[/card], larger creatures could be taken down. Playing a mana bug? [card]Punishing Fire[/card]. [card]Dark Confidant[/card]? [card]Punishing Fire[/card]. Any Mefolk? Hate bear against combo? You get the point. With an untapped [card]Grove of the Burnwillows[/card], [card]Punishing Fire[/card] even survives an attempt to [card]Extirpate[/card] or [card]Surgical Extraction[/card] it. Banning [card]Punishing Fire[/card] tonight reminded me immediately of three months ago when a similarly oppressive card was banned: [card]Mental Misstep[/card]. When [card]Mental Misstep[/card] was banned, thousands of 1-drops freed up as playable again. The same effect is the result of banning [card]Punishing Fire[/card]. How many creatures can you think of that are playable now?
The good? I’ve already mentioned some key creatures that were hurt by the common play and existence of [card]Punishing Fire[/card]. [card]Dark Confidant[/card], one of the money cards at the format’s inception that has seen a slow decrease in value over the past few months, will likely benefit from both a loss of [card]Wild Nacatl[/card] and [card]Punishing Fire[/card]. What archetypes could Bob Maher help fuel, that it couldn’t earlier? The hate bears strategy against R/x combo is once again viable. [card]Gaddock Teeg[/card], [card]Ethersworn Canonist[/card], and the lesser played [card]Aven Mindcensor[/card] breathe a sigh of relief. And finally, if tribal was your thing, you now get to flourish in a format free of [card]Umezawa’s Jitte[/card] and [card]Punishing Fire[/card]. Seems fine!
The bad? I honestly think [card]Grove of the Burnwillows[/card] should have been the one to receive the axe. [card]Punishing Fire[/card] by itself is an overcosted [card]Shock[/card] that can occasionally be brought back with life gain (read: nothing as consistent as a permanent you control giving your opponent life in an uncounterable way). It is an additional tool that Mono Red can take advantage of against cards like [card]Kitchen Finks[/card]. By itself, it works the way it was intended to when Zendikar was first printed: Take punishment for gaining life. Decks that play red don’t have the luxury of game-ending reach like [card]Fireblast[/card] and [card]Price of Progress[/card]. However, with either piece of the combo no longer legal, the point does become moot. Cards like [card]Firespout[/card] and [card]Volcanic Fallout[/card] will likely take over, as actual red sweepers would have to be played rather than a [card]Punishing Fire[/card]s engine.
Financially Beneficial
So what are some good pickups to look for? I’ll have some obvious ones and maybe some interesting ones, and due to the hasty nature of this article (written about half an hour after the bannings were announced), I may miss a few things. But that’s good, because not everyone will be scrambling to grab them.
Up: Zendikar Fetchlands – Should be an absolute no brainer at this point, but most people still haven’t caught the memo, as far as the reads from trade tables go. These lands will be the basis to any deck where you want to play more than one color in, and occasionally in decks where you only play one color (Mono Red). Focus, as always, on the two blue fetches, [card]Misty Rainforest[/card] and [card]Scalding Tarn[/card], then [card]Arid Mesa[/card], as I think Zoo will still be popular. Remember that [card]Marsh Flats[/card] is likely the worst one and the “[card]Bloodstained Mire[/card]” of the new fetches, so don’t pour too much stock into it. [card]Verdant Catacombs[/card] saw print in an Event deck and will probably creep up, but at a much slower rate as supply starts to equilibrate with demand.
Up: Forgotten Favorites – Remember all those cards that you scrambled to pick up when Modern was announced? The ones that [card]Wild Nacatl[/card] and [card]Punishing Fire[/card] pushed out of the format? Here, I’ll remind you of a couple that I thought of right after the banning. The list continues to grow, but everyone’s list should start with [card]Dark Confidant[/card] and [card]Vendilion Clique[/card], two flagship money cards that more than doubled in value in the months after the announcement of Modern. The lack of [card]Punishing Fire[/card] also opens the format up to extending as far as it can within its card pool. What can, say, players do with the innocuous [card]Lotus Cobra[/card]? Food for thought.
Up: Merfolk – If I had a personal hell, it would be to play against Merfolk in a nine round tournament every day. I don’t think I’ve lost more in Legacy to any other archetype than it, but it definitely should see a rise after this announcement. [card]Cursecatcher[/card], [card]Silvergill Adept[/card], [card]Lord of Atlantis[/card], [card]Merrow Reejerey[/card], [card]Coralhelm Commander[/card], and [card]Mutavault[/card] are the base creatures of the Legacy archetype, and should transfer over to Modern quite well. What about the utility creatures? [card]Kira, Great Glass-Spinner[/card], [card]Sower of Temptation[/card], and possibly [card]Merfolk Sovereign[/card] will round out the creature base to these decks. I mention [card]Merfolk Sovereign[/card] as a cheap pickup, because the 16-Lord configuration has shown success against Zoo in Legacy, but who knows if it can do well without [card]Force of Will[/card] and [card]Daze[/card]. Oh, did I mention [card]Aether Vial[/card] was legal?
Up: Elspeth, Knight-Errant – I had been thinking about this card for a while, including picking up a pack foil one at a PTQ this past weekend, and when I saw Corbin Hosler’s (shout out!) tweet about her, it reaffirmed my thoughts. I expect this card to see a steady increase, especially because one of the engines oppressive to Planeswalkers ([card]Punishing Fire[/card]) has been eliminated from the format, and control is still trying to find an identity. [card]Elspeth, Knight-Errant[/card] is one of the strongest 4cc Planeswalkers available (cough, no [card]Jace, The Mind Sculptor[/card]) in the format, and can be played in a variety of decks, from “Big” Zoo to W/x Control to Junk-type builds. She is able to protect herself, and has a backbreaking ultimate. I would definitely look to invest here.
Up: Cryptic Command – Naturally, with the rise of control and U/x decks, one of the Swiss army knives of blue can see its true increase. Potentially slower format, higher potential in [card]Cryptic Command[/card]. I’m finding these for $10-12 on some sites (probably a little higher after today). If Control is a viable archetype, expect it to use at least two and up to four copies of it. There is also a small difference from when Modern was announced… See, there’s this 2/1 running around, and he tends to flash things back. Not sure if you’ve heard of him. Also, did you know that [card]Mystical Teachings[/card] tutors for both?
Up: Chord of Calling – This banning gives the slower, grindy [card]Birthing Pod[/card] decks a little more stability, and factoring in the lack of [card]Green Sun’s Zenith[/card] in the format, [card]Chord of Calling[/card] becomes the next best thing available. I have had my eye on this card for a while now, and it has slowly creeped up into the $3-4 range since Modern’s announcement. Most lists are playing three copies right now, and when the popularity of Project X / Melira-Pod increases, so will [card]Chord of Calling[/card]. It also has considerable value in Elves if it is ever to be popular again, as the loss of [card]Green Sun’s Zenith[/card] factored with [card]Punishing Fire[/card] also kept that archetype at bay. Elves still has [card]Cloudstone Curio[/card] and [card]Summoner’s Pact[/card] to regain format relevance, but the lack of [card]Green Sun’s Zenith[/card] and (more importantly) [card]Glimpse of Nature[/card] hurts a lot.
Up: Utility Cards – It never feels good to pay large sums of money for commons and uncommons, but you need them for your deck to work. The worst feeling is going to a PTQ and having to shell out insane money for, say, some [card]Remand[/card]s or something. Before you become the victim of horrible planning, start picking up staples now. I’ve mentioned some already in this article, but I want cards like [card]Path to Exile[/card], [card]Spell Snare[/card], [card]Firespout[/card], [card]Remand[/card], [card]Inquisition of Kozilek[/card], [card]Kitchen Finks[/card], [card]Lightning Helix[/card], and [card]Tectonic Edge[/card] right now. They’re going to be in high demand for this upcoming PTQ Season, and they can be found for (still) pretty low in trade binders right now.
Closing Thoughts
Next PTQ Season, when we look back at this month’s B&R Update, hopefully we will appreciate how two oppressive pillars of the Modern format were removed, either permanently through [card]Punishing Fire[/card] or temporarily through [card]Wild Nacatl[/card], which opened up an incredible and diverse format. Whether or not it actually happens with the first iteration, I have faith that Wizards is taking the correct steps in ensuring that the end product is something that everyone can enjoy. Modern is barely a toddler at this point, and like Legacy, it too will see a series of bannings (and unbannings?) before a good equilibrium is achieved. My goal is to grind Modern when I can next year. I definitely have a greater desire after tonight, and I hope that you do as well.
As a last thought, this will continue to linger in my head as the upcoming months go by. From Erik Lauer, on the explanation of the bannings, found here: “A more subtle reason for the banning of [card]Wild Nacatl[/card] is the development of future Magic sets.” Since its primary interactions comes with what types of lands you control, especially fetchable land types, I wonder if Modern will be ushering in something big in its future.
Thanks for reading,
–Mark Sun
@AllSunsDawn on Twitter
chbe.sun@gmail.com
Dubbed the Legacy Superstar, Mark Sun has been spending the past year trying to live up to his nickname. His biggest accomplishment to date was a top 8 finish at the 2011 Legacy Championships.