Last we took a look at an awesome Jund list that included the powerful combo of Madcap Experiment and Platinum Emperion that did fairly well at Grand Prix Dallas. This week we’re going to be looking at another Grand Prix Dallas decklist, courtesy of my Pro Tour Kaladesh teammate Cody Lingelbach. The deck is actually unlike anything I’ve seen in Modern up to this point, which is always a pleasure.
Cody went an impressive 12-3 with the deck, landing a 43rd place finish. Given my love for all things Eldrazi, I had to try it out. Take a look.
3 Hangarback Walker
2 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
3 Reality Smasher
4 Thought-Knot Seer
3 Wasteland Strangler
1 Dreadbore
3 Inquisition of Kozilek
3 Kolaghan’s Command
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Ratchet Bomb
4 Relic of Progenitus
1 Slaughter Pact
1 Talisman of Indulgence
3 Terminate
4 Blackcleave Cliffs
2 Blood Crypt
4 Eldrazi Temple
2 Ghost Quarter
1 Mountain
4 Mutavault
4 Sulfurous Springs
2 Swamp
Sideboard
1 Magma Spray
1 Crumble to Dust
1 Reality Smasher
1 Shriekmaw
1 Slaughter Games
2 Collective Brutality
2 Thoughtseize
2 Anger of the Gods
1 Endbringer
1 Shatterstorm
1 Night of Souls’ Betrayal
1 Ratchet Bomb
There are definitely a few interesting inclusions in here, like Hangarback Walker, but it also looks fairly similar to my Pro Tour Oath of the Gatewatch deck, what with the four main deck Relic of Progenitus, the Wasteland Strangler, and the Ratchet Bombs. Even without Eye of Ugin, the Eldrazi are still a force to be reckoned with, and I hope we’re able to prove that today.
Yeah, it’s still as hard as it used to be to deal with Thought-Knot Seer and Reality Smasher, even in Modern. When a good portion of the removal in the format deals two or three damage, those four- and five-toughness creatures end up being a lot more durable.
This deck definitely had a lot of interesting decisions, like the four main deck Relics we mentioned; worth noting, however, that these happen to be fairly well-positioned right now against the Dredge decks. Unfortunately they still weren’t able to save us against Living End, but we were stuck on one land for quite some time, even before the ensuing bevy of land destruction took place.
Another interesting decision is the one-of Talisman of Indulgence. I guess sometimes you need another source of colorless, black, and red mana that can ramp you, which isn’t a terrible idea. We also have two Ratchet Bombs in the main deck, which can actually be pretty disastrous for some decks, but can also be pretty mediocre against other. It’s very hit or miss, and unlike Relic of Progenitus, this one doesn’t really cycle itself. Hangarback Walker is also a really interesting including, but truth be told, it seems great against cards like Liliana of the Veil or any sort of Modern removal outside of Path to Exile.
The sideboard is kind of all over with a little bit of everything. I’m not even going to mention this time how I would rather have Curse of Death’s Hold rather than Night of Souls’ Betrayal, because I’ve just gone over it too many times. Fine, you want your Thought-Knot Seers to be 3/3s? Knock yourself out!
Missing Eldrazi in Modern? Try this list out. It’s kind of aggressive, it has a lot of disruption, and its win conditions are top notch! Thanks for reading and I’ll catch you next week!
Frank Lepore
Facebook|Twitch|Twitter|YouTube
Freshly Brewed Podcast with Ali Aintrazi (available on iTunes and Stitcher Radio)
