Hey there. Welcome to your one-stop-modern-shop for budgety real deck goodness! I’m Kevin Poncelet and I’m here to bring you what you want. Today we’ve got one of my favorites: Eldrazi and Taxes. You can build it online for just over $200. Not too bad compared to most modern decks.
Check out this deck tech and 5 round competitive league:
Deck Tech
Round 1: Against UW Control
Round 2: Against GB Tron
Round 3: Against Affinity
Round 4: Against Eldrazi Tron
Round 5: Against Jeskai Control
Decklist:
Spells:
4 Aether Vial
4 Path to Exile
Creatures:
4 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
4 Thought-Knot Seer
4 Tidehollow Sculler
3 Wasteland Strangler
4 Leonin Arbiter
2 Dark Confidant
4 Eldrazi Displacer
1 Mirran Crusader
4 Flickerwisp
Lands:
4 Caves of Koilos
4 Concealed Courtyard
4 Eldrazi Temple
4 Ghost Quarter
2 Plains
1 Godless Shrine
2 Shambling Vent
1 Swamp
Sideboard:
2 Fatal Push
1 Orzhov Pontiff
1 Zealous Persecution
3 Rest in Peace
1 Grafdigger’s Cage
4 Stony Silence
1 Aven Mindcensor
2 Burrenton Forge-Tender
So the 2-3 record was certainly subpar, but I’ve 5-0’d a few leagues and even an online PPTQ with this deck in the past. Hopefully you saw some of the awesome interactions and play this deck can provide.
It’s not a deck you can just pick up and play optimally right away so be prepared to put in some practice. Aether Vial and Flickerwisp and Eldrazi Displacer lead to some really complicated lines with almost endless possibilities. Also knowing how many basics your opponent is playing is of utmost importance when deciding when to use Ghost Quarter. Sometimes you can take them off a color and close the door on the game.
Don’t worry, though, with a little hard work you’ll be crashing through modern tournaments and Vialing in Tidehollow Sculler in response to their Vial activation. Blowout! Hah, I got to do that at Grand Prix LA last year. Felt great. This deck is super fun and super rewarding when you get the hang of it. Now get out there and start taxing.
If you’re looking for budget considerations to get started on the cheap, I would start by replacing the Dark Confidants with Thraben Inspectors. You could also play more basics to ease the cost of the mana base, but don’t skimp on the Ghost Quarters or Eldrazi Temples. Make sure you pick up the Caves of Koilos as well because that’s actually a tri-land in this deck.
Anyway, thanks for stopping by and checking out some sweet modern action. Come hang out with me at twitch.tv/kponceMTG. I’m there most days.
